Virginia Scarlett
Ashburn,Virginia
Summary
Motivated, goal-oriented Ph.D. scientist with a passion for FAIR data. Excellent written and oral communicator. Experienced in Python programming, on-prem HPC, and NoSQL databases. Independent, creative worker committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Able to travel, relocate, or work remotely.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Data and Information Specialist
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Campus
03.2024 - Current
- Spearheaded the modernization of Janelia's publication metadata tracking system, saving employee time and turning a semi-structured dataset into a useful dashboard.
- Wrote numerous tutorials on data sharing resources.
- Managed a budget of >$1 million, including all of the institute's journal subscriptions.
Scientific Computing Associate
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Campus
12.2022 - 03.2024
- Interviewed 62 Janelia scientists about their data management needs. Summarized the results in an internal report and an engaging talk to an audience of several hundred.
- Created and led the Janelia Data Standards group, a team of bioimaging developers looking to unify their data conventions.
Graduate Student Instructor
University of California, Berkeley
08.2019 - 05.2022
- Gave lectures on ecology, evolution, and biochemistry to undergraduates. (4 semesters total)
- Wrote and graded homeworks and exams.
- Helped struggling students develop study strategies.
Graduate Student Researcher
UC Berkeley/Joint Genome Institute
05.2017 - 05.2022
- Conducted evolutionary genomics research that shed light on the mechanism of polyploid genome instability.
- Cleaned, analyzed and visualized diverse grass genomic data using Python and R scripts.
- Co-authored two peer-reviewed research papers.
- Won a competitive National Science Foundation Fellowship which funded my research.
Research Assistant
Joint BioEnergy Institute
03.2014 - 06.2016
- Wrote and published a peer-reviewed study on the importance of a class of sugars found at the plant cell membrane.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
United States Department Of Agriculture
05.2012 - 03.2014
- Co-authored a peer-reviewed research paper characterizing mutations that impair circadian clock function.
Education
Ph.D. - Plant Biology
University of California, Berkeley
05.2022
B.S. - Molecular Environmental Biology
University of California, Berkeley
05.2014
Skills
- Python and R programming
- High-performance computing
- NoSQL databases
- REST APIs
- XML, JSON, JSON Schema
- FAIR data
- GitHub (projects, pages, actions)
- Tutorials and technical documentation
- Scrum and Agile concepts
- Working well with others
- Cultural sensitivity
Other activities
- Bay Area Open Science Group, member since Fall 2021
- Data Ethics Club, member since Fall 2023
- Janelia Coding Circle, member since Fall 2023
Supervisor Contacts
- Michael Perham, Director, Innovations and External Relations, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, perhamm@janelia.hhmi.org
- Stephan Preibisch, Director, Scientific Computing Software, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, preibischs@janelia.hhmi.org
- John Vogel, Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley; Principal Investigator, Joint Genome Institute, (925) 296-5761, jpvogel@lbl.gov
- Henrik Scheller, Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley; Vice President, Joint BioEnergy Institute Feedstocks Division, (510) 486-7371, hscheller@lbl.gov
Additional Contacts
- Robert Svirskas, Principal Engineer and Project Manager, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, svirskasr@janelia.hhmi.org
- Michele Avissar-Whiting, Director of Open Science Strategy at HHMI, awm@hhmi.org
Timeline
Data and Information Specialist
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Campus
03.2024 - Current
Scientific Computing Associate
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Campus
12.2022 - 03.2024
Graduate Student Instructor
University of California, Berkeley
08.2019 - 05.2022
Graduate Student Researcher
UC Berkeley/Joint Genome Institute
05.2017 - 05.2022
Research Assistant
Joint BioEnergy Institute
03.2014 - 06.2016
Undergraduate Research Assistant
United States Department Of Agriculture
05.2012 - 03.2014
Ph.D. - Plant Biology
University of California, Berkeley
B.S. - Molecular Environmental Biology
University of California, Berkeley
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