Introducing the new DMP Tool Product Manager

I’m thrilled to introduce Becky Grady, CDL’s new Senior Product Manager for Data Management Planning. Becky will oversee our work on the DMP Tool and machine-actionable DMP projects. She brings a wealth of experience in technical product management to our team, and we’re excited to have her on board! As for me, I’ve transitioned to a new role as the Associate Director of the UC3 department. While I’ll continue working to support the development of the DMP Tool and new maDMP workflows, Becky will now be the lead contact for all DMP-related projects. – Maria Praetzellis

Hello everyone!  My name is Becky Grady, and I’m thrilled to be joining UC3 to work on Data Management planning.

For the past few years I’ve worked as both a UX researcher and a product manager in the tech industry, working on gaming platforms, account systems, and internal tools.  Before that, I received my PhD in Psychological Science at UC Irvine, studying bias in false memory, fake news, and misinformation under advisors Elizabeth Lofuts and Pete Ditto. 

As a former researcher, I know how important open science practices are at every stage of the process.  I’ve published multiple meta-analyses and know firsthand, both as the requestor and the requestee, of the challenges in finding and sharing data and materials from long ago.  I’ve also conducted many studies, from both academia and industry, about meta-science practices such as survey design and replication processes, because I know how important it is to look at how we conduct research and not just what the output is. 

As a product manager, I know how important it is to provide the right tools for people to get done what they need, understanding their needs and goals to make a great experience for them.  My UX research experience helps me work with users to understand their motivations, getting to their core needs to build the product that does what they need.

I can’t wait to bring my industry and academic experiences together to help in this important area and help plan, track, and preserve critical research data.  Making it easy and intuitive to create and update  data management plans, serving the needs of both researchers and institutions, will be core to advancing open science practices.  Excited to work with all of you more!  You can reach me at becky.grady@ucop.edu or connect with me on LinkedIn.