Staff

Previous Staff

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Name↑	Position↑	Start Date↑	End Date↑
Karen Payne	Director	2018	2023
Karen Payne: Director Dr. Payne is the Associate Director for International Technology for the World Data System, a component of the International Science Council. Her role is to help WDS member institutions build out their contributions to the global research data infrastructure. Prior to joining the University of Victoria, Dr. Payne worked at the University of Georgia providing data services to the humanitarian community involved in disaster relief and recovery activities. Dr. Payne earned a joint PhD in Geography and Engineering from the Australian National University investigating artificial intelligence techniques for classifying satellite images.
Seiya Terada	Co-op	2020	2020
Seiya Terada: Co-op
Winnie Li	Research Associate	2020	2021
Winnie Li: Research Associate
Alicia Urquidi-Diaz	Co-op and Research Associate	2019	2022
Alicia Urquidi-Diaz: Co-op and Research Associate
Owen Thurston	Co-op	2021	2022
Owen Thurston: Co-op
Soulaine Theocharides	Research Associate	2021	2022
Soulaine Theocharides: Research Associate
Matthew Barclay	Co-op	2022	2022
Matthew Barclay: Co-op Technical Assistant Matt studies mathematics as an undergraduate at the University of Victoria, and will be filling a supporting role with ITO assisting the Research Associate and Director. Previously he worked as an intern with DataGrail. He's interested in endurance sports and hopes (if he's lucky) to look more deeply into systems of logic.
Melinda Minch	Web Developer	2021	2023
Melinda Minch: Web Developer Melinda Minch is a full-stack software developer who prefers mission-driven work that does some good in the world. She has been in the software industry for more than 15 years, and her favorite projects help translate the domain knowledge of experts like musicians, scientists and academics into software design that helps them achieve their goals.
Caroline Lee	Research Associate	2022	2023
Caroline Lee: Research Associate Caroline is a Research Associate for the World Data System – International Technology Office hosted at Ocean Networks Canada. Caroline has a Master of Applied Ocean Technology from the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she focused on ocean mapping techniques and conducted research into methods for the remote mapping of submarine slope stability in coastal environments. Previously, she earned her Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto in Geology and Geographic Information Systems.
Yemisi Ogungbemi	Co-op Web Developer	2022	2023
Yemisi Ogungbemi: Co-op Web Developer Yemisi Ogungbemi is a Co-op student from the University of British Columbia, majoring in Computer Science. He is contributing to the Polar federated search web application by features implementation, testing, and documentation of any changes. Before accepting this Job He was a teaching assistant and resident advisor at the University of British Columbia. A conspiracy theory I believe in is that Michael Jackson is still alive!
Mike Morrison	Research Associate	2023	2023
Mike Morrison: Research Associate Mike has joined the World Data System - International Technology Office hosted at Ocean Networks Canada as a Research Associate. He earned his Honours Bachelor Degree in Environment, Resources, and Sustainability from the University of Waterloo and has previously worked with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) as an Initial Attack Fire Ranger in Northern Ontario. Mike has a strong interest in emergency preparedness and fostering resilient communities in a changing wildfire environment and will be conducting research for the polar observing assets community.
Dominik Bednarczyk	Biodiversity Co-op	2023	2023
Dominik Bednarczyk: Co-op Biodiversity Research Assistant Dominik Bednarczyk is a Co-op student at McMaster University majoring in Biotechnology. He is building the framework for the World Data System – International Technology Office’s (WDS-ITO) Biodiversity Project. He researches and discusses the current climate of Biodiversity research and data collection. He is working with Maui Hudson and Local Contexts on the Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels. Before WDS-ITO he worked at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) studying chimney swifts, and Blanding’s turtles, performing biodiversity fieldwork, and community outreach.
CJ Woodford	Research Associate	2022	2024
CJ Woodford: Research Associate CJ is a Research Associate for the World Data System-International Technology Office hosted at Ocean Networks Canada. He has a PhD in Physics from the University of Toronto, where he specialized in computer simulations of black hole systems. After his PhD, CJ worked with the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute at Queen’s University as a Knowledge Translation Specialist. Now, he is combining his research and work experience to support the Global Open Research Commons International Model Working Group in improving global access to research artifacts, as well as providing cross-cutting support for all WDS-ITO needs.
Qin (Ariel) Xu	Data Scientist Intern	2025	2025
Qin (Ariel) Xu: Data Scientist Intern Qin (Ariel) Xu joins the WDS-ITO as a Data Scientist Intern from McGill University, where she is specializing in Machine Learning and Data Science. She also holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, where she majored in Statistics, Cognitive Science, and Computer Science. Her academic background has provided her with a solid foundation in statistical analysis, computational methods, and cognitive insights, enabling her to approach complex problems from a unique perspective. Qin brings substantial expertise in database design, machine learning, and data visualization, developed through a combination of rigorous academic training and hands-on project experience. Passionate about transforming data into actionable insights, Qin excels in bridging the gap between technical processes and strategic decision-making. With a proven track record of collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and presenting analytical findings to both technical and non-technical audiences, Qin is eager to leverage her technical skills and analytical expertise to contribute to the WDS-ITO.
Alyssa Foote	Health Data Research Associate	2024	2025
Alyssa Foote: Health Data Research Associate Alyssa is a Health Data Research Associate for the World Data System-International Technology Office hosted at Ocean Networks Canada. She has a Master of Data Science degree from the University of British Columbia and a combined bachelor’s degree in Health Information Science and Computer Science from the University of Victoria. For her master’s capstone project, Alyssa developed a data pipeline utilizing natural language processing techniques. This pipeline successfully extracted key information from unstructured clinical notes and transformed them into tabular data, enabling efficient analysis and decision-making. Alyssa has held numerous analyst and research-focused roles in healthcare informatics, involving extensive work with administrative and patient data. These experiences provided her with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in healthcare data management. She is excited to apply her background and knowledge to help improve the accessibility and interoperability of healthcare data.