Instructors
Confirmed instructors, listed alphabetical by last name.
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Julien Brun
Julien Brun is the Earth and Environmental Sciences Research Facilitator at the UCSB Library. He is passionate about helping researchers in earth and environmental sciences make their work more reproducible by leveraging his data science skills to advise them on how to best manage their data and use programming tools to make their work more collaborative and reusable. Julien's scientific expertise is in ecohydrology (think vegetation - water interactions), Earth observation techniques (think satellite images 🛰️), and process-based modeling (think math 😅). He has taught numerous data science workshops, and he is also a lecturer for the data science program at the Bren School. On the personal side, Julien enjoys crunching chocolate, downhill skiing, mountain biking, and playing records on vintage Hi-Fi!
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Angela Chikowero
Angela Chikowero is the Open and Affordable Course Materials Librarian and Subject Librarian for Education at UCSB Library. She brings over 15 years of experience in academic libraries, with previous roles including Open Access and STEM Collection Strategist, subject librarian across multiple disciplines, and leadership in Course Reserves and Circulation. Angela holds an MLIS from Dalhousie University, a BA (Hons) in Economic History, and a Graduate Diploma in Media and Communication Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. She also earned a Creative Commons Certificate for Academic Librarians and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from UCSB Extension (PaCE), and is currently pursuing an EdD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Kansas.
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Anne Cong-Huyen
Anne Cong-Huyen is the Research Engagement Librarian. [Anne's bio to come]
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Renata Curty
Renata Curty is the Social Science Research Facilitator at the UCSB Library. She is an information scientist specializing in research data management and scientific reproducibility. Renata holds a Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology from Syracuse University and works at the intersection of open science, scholarly communication, and research infrastructure, with an emphasis on enabling data to be shared safely, responsibly, and effectively—particularly within the social sciences, where have been a major focus of her research and practice. Before joining the Research Data Services Department of the UCSB Library in early 2020, her career spanned industry, government socio-economic research, and academia, including a position as Assistant Professor in the Information Science Department at the State University of Londrina in Brazil. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, spending time with her family and pets, and staying active outdoors.
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Greg Janeé
Greg Janée is Director of Research Data Services at the UCSB Library. He holds a BS in mathematics and an MS in computer science, both from UCSB. After a career developing research and commercial software, he joined UCSB to develop one of the first digital library systems, and researched how maps, remote sensing imagery, and other types of geospatial data could be made findable and accessible in new online environments. His interest in preserving the products of science led to joining the Library and creating the Research Data Services department, which helps researchers archive their data and has since expanded in scope to provide consultation and instruction in all areas of research computing and data. At work, Greg loves all things data and data science. Outside of work, he is an avid hiker and bicyclist and enjoys gardening and photography.
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Xiuqi "Jade" Li
Xiuqi “Jade” Li is the Open Science Librarian at UCSB, where she supports researchers in making their work more open, transparent, and reusable. She is also the subject librarian for BioEngineering, MCDB, and EEMB. Jade received her BS in Molecular Biology from Brigham Young University and her PhD in Experimental Pathology from Yale University. Her scientific training included work on a range of biological and biomedical research projects, from cancer prevention to the genetic causes of systemic iron dysregulation. These experiences shaped her interest in how research is conducted, not just what it produces; they also led to her passion in promoting reproducibility, data management, and open science. In SOAR², Jade looks forward to working with students as they explore how to turn ideas into research questions, and how to carry out that work in thoughtful, responsible, and reproducible ways. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, cooking, walking along the beach, and macramé-ing.
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Jairo Melo Flórez
Jairo Melo Flórez is the Digital Humanities Research Facilitator at the UCSB Library. A historian by training and a self-taught programmer with a passion for "black screens," Jairo specializes in digital architectures for humanities preservation, publication, and collaboration. He holds a PhD in History from El Colegio de Michoacán and an MA in History from the Universidad Industrial de Santander. Before joining the Research Data Services team at UCSB, his career spanned several international institutions, including serving as a Digital Repository Fellow at the University of Exeter and leading the development of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). His work explores how historical archives are reshaped and "un/archived" when transformed into digital media, and how archival logic can be challenged to build open and generous interfaces. In his free time, Jairo enjoys outdoor activities, collecting music, and petting dogs.