The document discusses foundation support for data science tools and skills training. It notes that while career tracks and barriers to interdisciplinary work remain unchanged, computational and data analysis skills are increasingly important for researchers. The Data-Driven Discovery Initiative aims to catalyze shifts that encourage and reward data-intensive research. This includes making data science resources more accessible and ensuring students understand data analysis by 2020. The initiative promotes tools for data-driven research and funds environments welcoming data scientists to biology.

1. Foundation Support for Data
Science Tools & Skills
Carly Strasser
Data-Driven Discovery Initiative
AIBS: Bio-informatics Workforce Needs
8 Dec 2015

2. Patient Care
Marine
Microbes
Practices
EnvironmentScience Bay Area
Data-Driven
Discovery
EPiQS TMT …
People Institutions
…in the natural sciences

3. Computational
skills
Math &
Stats skills
Domain
expertise
!

4. What hasn’t changed:
Career tracks
Barriers to interdisciplinary work
Credit & incentives
Training
Leaky pipeline for
computationally-savvy
researchers
From Flickr by Willie Angus

5. DDD Goal:
Catalyze shifts towards new norms
Academic institutions nurture/reward data-
intensive research(ers)
Tools & practices are available,
disseminated, and used

6. Patient Care
Marine
Microbes
Practices
EnvironmentScience Bay Area
Data-Driven
Discovery
EPiQS TMT …
People Institutions

8. Careers
Space
Tools
Training
Open
Science
Data
Science
Studies
Themes
“…the aim is to make data science
technology and expertise far more
accessible both within universities and
beyond.”

9. “In 2020, every college student should
be prepared to understand and develop
points of view based on the analysis of
data as well as evaluate arguments
made by others”
Formal
Informal

10. Patient Care
Marine
Microbes
Practices
EnvironmentScience Bay Area
Data-Driven
Discovery
EPiQS TMT …
People Institutions

11. Metagenomics
StatisticsMathematics
Computer
science
Gene expressionAstrophysics
Imaging EcologyEvolution
Gene expression
Computer
science
EnvironmentalComputer
science
visualization
Astrophysics

12. tl;dr: We are organizing an event where trainees launch
collaborative projects.
…Our goal is to host an event that will generate projects that
integrate the skills and expertise of at least two (ideally more)
DDD-I labs…
Barnraising
Gene expression Computer
science
Astrophysics
…DDD
Training Club

13. Patient Care
Marine
Microbes
Practices
EnvironmentScience Bay Area
Data-Driven
Discovery
EPiQS TMT …
People Institutions

14. Promote
innovative tools and techniques
for data driven research
Formerly
Interactive lab notebook for sharing
workflows

15. Promote
innovative tools and techniques
for data driven research
Formerly
Interactive lab notebook for sharing workflows
From www.davelunt.net

16. Promote
innovative tools and techniques
for data driven research
Formerly

17. What we ARE doing:
• Funding data science environments that welcome biologists
• Supporting investigators in biology and life sciences who
demonstrate the skills needed
• Funding projects that enable and promote training the biology
workforce
• Getting involved in discussions about training data scientists
What we ARE NOT doing:
• Directly funding Biology-focused projects/tools
• Directly funding formal data science education

18. Website
Twitter
Email
@carlystrasser
Carlystrasser.net
carlystrasser@gmail.com
www.moore.org/programs/science/data-driven-discovery
msdse.org
#MooreData
More information on DDD: