Virginia Scarlett

Open Science Researcher

virginiascarlett@ucsb.edu

Profile

Originally trained in genomics and molecular biology, I now do research that helps organizations plan their open science strategy. I am also a community manager, creating educational resources and assembling communities of practice for the issues I investigate.

Education

University of California, Berkeley - 2022

Doctor of Philosophy, Plant Biology

University of California, Berkeley - 2014

Bachelor of Science, Molecular Environmental Biology

Work Experience

Open Source Programs Specialist

University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

Feb 2025 - Present

  • Manage of Open Source Program Office (OSPO) operations, including community events and communications.
  • Lead various social research projects.
  • Product manager on a toolkit for discovering open source software.

Data and Information Specialist

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA

Mar 2024 - Jan 2025

  • Oversaw the modernization of Janelia's system for tracking its publication metrics and metadata.
  • Wrote tutorials on Janelia's data and information infrastructure.
  • Served as Janelia's librarian, which included evaluating the institute's journal subscriptions and managing a budget of greater than $1 million.

Scientific Computing Associate

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA

Dec 2022 - Mar 2024

  • Conducted a qualitative survey of Janelia's data culture. Proposed solutions in an internal report and an engaging talk to an audience of several hundred.
  • Facilitated a team of bioimaging developers working to unify their data conventions.
  • Contributed documentation improvements and an extension proposal to OME-NGFF, an international open-source data standard.

Graduate Student Researcher

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA

Aug 2016 - May 2022

  • Co-authored two peer-reviewed studies about the evolution of polyploid plant genomes.
  • Gave popular science talks to the public through the department's science communication club.
  • Mentored several junior researchers.

Graduate Student Instructor

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Aug 2019 - May 2022

  • Gave lectures on ecology, evolution, and biochemistry to undergraduates. (2 courses, 4 semesters)
  • Wrote and graded homework assignments and exams.

Research Assistant

Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville CA

Mar 2014 - Jul 2016

  • Co-authored a peer-reviewed study on the importance of a class of sugars found at the plant cell membrane.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

US Department of Agriculture Plant Gene Expression Center, Albany CA

May 2012 - Mar 2014

  • Co-authored a peer-reviewed study characterizing mutations impairing plant circadian clock function.

Skills

  • Intermediate programming: Python, R, HTML, CSS, Javascript
  • GitHub: Forking, branching, etc., hosting static websites, project boards
  • Computing foundations: Conceptual understanding of high-performance computing, cloud computing, databases, REST APIs, the web
  • Writing and design tools: Microsoft Office, Canva, Inkscape
  • Research data management: Scholarly repositories, DOIs and other PIDs, best practices
  • Survey methods: Conducting interviews, ethical human subjects research, survey design, intermediate statistics
  • Writing and instruction: Grants, papers, tutorials, blog articles, talks, workshops
  • Product management: Agile philosophy and methods