Who Cares About Data Curation? Indirect Lessons from the Master in Data Management and Curation

Thursday 13 November 2025, 14:30-15:30, Open Science Café with Mariarita de Luca, Federica Bazzocchi and Giulia Caldoni

Agenda

14:30 – 14:40 Connection opens and welcome remarks by Giulia Caldoni
14:40 - 15:00 Presentation by Mariarita de Luca and Federica Bazzocchi
15:00 – 15:30 Q&A and discussion

Summary

Who really cares about data curation? And what does "taking care" of data actually mean today in the world of research and innovation?
Drawing from the experience of the Master in Data Management and Curation (MDMC), this talk uses different perspectives to explore how the value given to data curation is changing.
The MDMC, organised by Area Science Park and SISSA, is one of the first Italian programs dedicated to data professionals using a holistic, FAIR-by-design viewpoint—an approach that builds responsible, interoperable, and reusable data management right into the initial collection phase.
Its structure, featuring three months of intensive classes and six months of internships with research bodies, scientific infrastructures, and partner companies, allows students to face the real-world difficulties of data management and gain both practical and transferable skills.
The "indirect lessons" of the Master show how a culture of data curation comes from combining technical skills, ethical awareness, a systemic vision, and the tangible, often unrecognised value of data, and how education can drive this change.

Speakers

Giulia Caldoni (moderator): Data Steward at the University of Bologna. A biologist with a PhD in Oncology, Haematology, and Pathology, she has a background in cellular and molecular biology research. Today, she supports researchers in the medical and scientific fields with FAIR data management and the promotion of Open Science. She is part of the coordination group for the Italian Community of Data Stewards (CIDS) and contributes to Task Group 7 "Networking and Knowledge Exchange" of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) Interest Group "Professionalising Data Stewardship".

Federica Bazzocchi (speaker): Technologist at the Data Engineering Laboratory of Area Science Park, where she focuses on FAIR scientific data management, interoperability, and workflow design for experimental and computational research.
She holds a degree in Physics from the University of Trieste and a PhD in Elementary Particle Physics from SISSA. She initially researched phenomenological extensions of the Standard Model, focusing on favour physics and dark matter.
After working as an analyst in the private sector, where she gained skills in large databases and knowledge representation, she shifted her focus toward managing and valorising research data, combining scientific, technical, and organisational elements.
She is currently the Work Package Leader for FAIR-by-design within the NFFA-DI project, the European infrastructure for nanoscience and nanomaterials, where she coordinates activities for the centralised and FAIR management of data across all network laboratories. Her goal is to promote an integrated digital ecosystem that makes scientific infrastructure data fully accessible, interoperable, and reusable.
Her research interests include the interplay between conceptual architectures and technical setups of data management systems, as well as AI applications in materials physics and automated experimental data analysis.
She teaches Advanced Data Management at the University of Trieste and plays a major role in the scientific design of the Master in Data Management and Curation (MDMC), co-run by Area Science Park and SISSA.
In the Master program, she teaches the core module "Tools for Data Management", which focuses on practical tools and methods for managing research data according to FAIR principles, helping train a new generation of data professionals who can bridge scientific vision and technical skills.

Mariarita de Luca (speaker): Technologist at the Data Engineering Laboratory of Area Science Park, where she works on research and training activities in data-intensive science.
With a background in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Politecnico di Milano, she continued her research at SISSA in Trieste, focusing on mathematical models and numerical simulations of complex materials and biological systems.
Later on, she developed an interest in Research Data Management and the design of FAIR-by-design approaches, particularly applied to materials sciences.
She is currently involved in managing data for Area Science Park's new green hydrogen laboratory, H2SmartLab, where she coordinates the collection and organisation of experimental data needed to build a virtual model (digital twin) aimed at optimising hydrogen production and energy consumption under different operating conditions.
Driven by a strong belief in the value of collaboration and knowledge sharing, she has embraced Open Science principles as a tool to support collective progress and more ethical, transparent research.
She teaches courses on Open Science and FAIR Data at the University of Trieste, aiming to train young researchers to become ambassadors for an open, responsible, and reproducible scientific culture.
Since 2024, she has been the coordinator of the Master in Data Management and Curation (MDMC)—a joint initiative of Area Science Park and SISSA—which is among the first Italian programs dedicated to training a new generation of data professionals through a hands-on, FAIR-by-design approach.

Target audience

This webinar is created for the Italian community and is aimed at researchers, research support staff, technicians, and technologists interested in learning more about Open Science and FAIR principles.

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