Transforming Research Announces First Speakers

August 1, 2018 – Transforming Research Call for Presentations Open Through Aug 7. The second Transforming Research conference, to be held at Brown University on October 3rd and 4th, will include international leaders and innovators across research policy, strategy, communication, advocacy, and evaluation. The organizing committee today announced the first confirmed speakers. Submissions for presentations are welcome through Tuesday, August 7th. Themes of the conference include Research Policy and Strategy; Careers, Review and Promotion; Metrics, Evaluation, and Behavior; and, the Structure of Research and Institutions.

Mike Taylor, chair of the conference organizing committee commented on the goal for this conference, “As research moves forward in an increasingly data- and evidence-driven research environment, a deeper, shared understanding of impact and research evaluation is essential.  Our goal for Transforming Research is to promote conversations among funders and institutions, publishers and research managers, information and data scientists and technologists. Together, we can discuss new ideas and shared challenges across the research community with diverse perspectives to advance discovery, influence policy and increase public trust in research.  We thank Brown University, our generous host and are delighted to announce our early confirmed speakers.”

The first confirmed speakers include distinguished, innovative leaders from diverse organizations will be welcomed by the event host, Jill Pipher, Vice President for Research and Elisha Benjamin Andrews Professor of Mathematics at Brown University.

Keynote presenters include: 

James Wilsdon, Professor of Research Policy, Department of Politics and Director of Research and Innovation, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield, will present a keynote related to research policy and strategy. Wilsdon’s research interests include research policy in the UK and Europe; scientometrics; the impact agenda; public engagement in research; and the role of evidence and expertise in policymaking. He is a champion of impact and interdisciplinarity and currently serves as vice-chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) and program leader for Centre for Global Higher Education. Wilsdon will advance discussions on impact metrics, gamification of the assessment process, He has recently chaired an expert panel on Next Generation Metrics for the European Commission and is author of The Metric Tide.

Cornelia Dean, New York Times science write and Writer in Residence at Brown University, author of Making Sense of Science which draws on her thirty years as a science journalist to equip the wider public with a set of critical tools to evaluate the scientific claims and controversies that shape our lives. 

Leaders from scientific societies, information science, and funding agencies will also present, including:

Anne Bowser, Director of Innovation and Innovation Specialist, Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wilson Center Barb Brownlee, Senior Policy Advisor at Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation David Eichmann, Associate Professor and Director, School of Library and Information Science, University of Iowa Helen Marshall, Senior Lecturer in Writing and Publishing & Director of the Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy, Anglia Ruskin University Catherine Roberts, Executive Director, American Mathematical Society ENDS#

Contact:

Mike Taylor, Head of Metrics Development, Digital Science m.taylor@digital-science.com Anne Stone, Senior Manager, TBI Communications, @TransformingRes About Transforming Research The organizing committee of Transforming Research includes data scientists, research leaders, library leaders, funders, technologists and publishing innovators. Their mission is to offer the research community a unique opportunity to look at how data and evidence are transforming research policy and strategy and debate possible futures of methodologies, metrics, and the meaning of research evaluation.

Organizing Committee: John Armstrong, Discovery Engine, Brown University; Maryrose Franko, Health Research Alliance; Kristi Holmes, Northwestern University; Christopher Moore, Discovery Engine, Brown University; Anne Seymour, Johns Hopkins University; Anne Stone, TBI Communications; Mike Taylor, Digital Science; Barbara Kern, University of Chicago; Bart Ragon, University of Virginia