Introducing our new Curriculum Community Developer

Hi everyone! I cannot express how delighted I am to take up the position of Curriculum Community Developer with The Carpentries.

I am coming from a role as a scientific community manager at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). In that position - alongside fellow Carpentries community members Renato Alves, Malvika Sharan, and Aidan Budd - I worked to build and support the community of computational researchers at the institute. In one aspect of that, I worked with community members to develop teaching material on topics relating to computational biology. It is a collaborative process that I have really enjoyed, and I cannot wait to share that experience with you all now.

I have been involved in The Carpentries as a community member for a few years, first as an Instructor and committee member, and subsequently as a Trainer. You are a truly inspiring group of people doing important work. I am thrilled and so grateful to now have the opportunity to work with Erin, François, Zhian, and all the other amazing members of The Carpentries Core Team as we help this community collaborate on new lessons.

Circumstances this year have challenged us all and, sadly, many of those challenges may not disappear any time soon. In recent years, when events and obstacles have left me feeling worn down, I have found comfort and renewed energy in the positivity and proactiveness of this community. However, I also know that everyone faces their own set of challenges, has their own tools and routines for self-care, and that many may be unable to contribute or engage on the level they had previously. As we work together, I will try to always be aware of my responsibility to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from all of the community’s lessons, but that no-one feels obligated to commit beyond their capacity to do so.

I am so excited to be able to work with you all, and to watch you create even more amazing lessons and curricula. I would love to hear from you, so please get in touch at tobyhodges@carpentries.org, and feel free to connect with me on Slack and Twitter.