WDS is proud to highlight the achievements of our previous Data Stewardship Award recipients, displaying their contributions to the global data community. For December, we feature Dr. Libby Liggins, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, whose contribution to initiatives supporting the retention of contextual metadata alongside genomic data, enabling re-use toward biodiversity and conservation objectives, and maintaining the Indigenous provenance of these data to support Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
Since receiving the WDS Data Stewardship Award, Dr. Liggins has emerged as a leader in the field, inspiring her research community to prioritize data stewardship. The award opened doors for her to take on advisory roles, lead the development of data resources and repositories, and collaborate on publications offering discipline-specific best practices.
“I now see data stewardship and the advancement of tools, infrastructures, and community practices in aid of ethical data stewardship, as a part of my professional research practice alongside marine evolutionary ecology.”
Dr. Liggins’s expertise is recognized globally, and she serves on the WDS Scientific Committee, where she helps drive initiatives that strengthen the culture of responsible data management. Incorporating data stewardship into her professional practice, alongside her work in marine evolutionary ecology, Dr. Liggins is advancing tools, infrastructures, and community practices for ethical and sustainable data use.
Her journey demonstrates how the WDS Data Stewardship Award fosters innovation, collaboration, and the essential integration of stewardship into scientific endeavors. Join us in celebrating the work of Dr. Libby Liggins and other outstanding members of the WDS community!