“Supporting your academic goals.” That is what we do at Maastricht University Library. One of those goals is responsibly answering questions about the (potential) academic and societal impact of research conducted at our university. That goal is central to the work of the Research Intelligence team, and thus also to this position. You work closely together with the faculties’ academics and administrative staff, to support strategy-driven evaluations, informed decision- and policymaking, efforts to obtain funding or seek additional collaboration partners. For this, you can rely on various data sources, including our Current Research Information System (Pure), Web of Science, Altmetric Explorer, Unpaywall and a range of bibliometric analysis tools such as InCites and VOSviewer. We have the ambition to work more with open data for research evaluation, and this will be at the core of your work.

Your work focuses on:

• Supporting research units in their periodical assessments based on the ambitions they have. Examples of periodical assessments are the Strategy Evaluation Protocol and internal Planning and Control cycles in which research impact and open science ambition are central themes. It is your responsibility to identify the analyses that best answer the strategic questions at hand, albeit analyses that are already available in our Research Intelligence dashboard or tailor-made analyses. You will also support in the nuanced interpretation of analyses and visualisations. What do the findings mean, how can they support an evaluative narrative, or how can they be meaningfully translated to decisions or policy?
• Collecting data for your research evaluations by querying our Research Intelligence database (SQL), which contains data from the Current Research Information System and other bibliometric sources. Our Data Technology experts maintain this database, and you would be able to harvest information from this database using scripting languages. You combine various sources of research information (publications, metrics, activities, open access status etc.) and filter and analyse this information in a responsible way in line with the initial questions of clients.
• Informing the UM community about responsible research assessment through presentations, development of (online) modules and information on the UM library webpage.
• Exploring new open data sources that can help us to evaluate open science activities such as the use of FAIR principles and Open Educational Resources by researchers. You will extract data from online sources using APIs, clean it and match it with data from our Research Intelligence database to check how useful a new data source could be. The eventual integration of new data into the database will be the responsibility of our Data Technology experts.
• Following the developments in the field of responsible research evaluation and updating Research Intelligence practices according to these developments. This includes the development and implementation of new indicators that can evaluate Research Output, Open Science practices and aspects of Recognition & Rewards.

We are looking for you if you are eager to dig deep into the available research information to find the answers that our colleagues throughout the university are looking for. You are proficient in scripting languages such as Python for data exploration, cleaning and analysis. You have affinity and/or experience in conducting responsible research evaluation, and a positive attitude towards Open Science and the culture change in research assessment related to it.

Furthermore, you have:

• a bachelor's degree or a master's degree;
• proven years of experience working in an academic environment (preferably as a researcher);
• a good command of the Dutch and English language (both C1 level) and strong interpersonal skills. Language training can be provided where necessary;
• demonstrable experience with querying data using SQL and data harvesting using APIs.

As Research Intelligence officer at University Library, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 10 according to UFO profile Specialist Scientific Information, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3226,00 and €5090,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 0,8 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.
  The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply.

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

University Library

"Supporting your academic goals" is what the University Library stands for.

We maintain close ties with the academic world and play a crucial role within this community, essential for students, educators, and researchers in the digital transition. We contribute to the UM’s Open Science policy, an initiative to enhance the impact of academic research—by helping to make science and scholarship accessible and transparent.

The University Library is also continuously evolving, offering our professionals many opportunities to showcase their entrepreneurship and grow alongside. We accomplish this with a highly motivated and collegial team that values everyone's well-being. Will you be part of this team?

To find out more about the services and information we provide, watch the video or visit our website.