Following the Chem UK event held in July 2023, Suze Kundu, Digital Science’s Director of Researcher and Community Engagement, spoke to AZoM, an online publication for the Materials Science community. The interview shed light on how Dimensions can contribute to research publication, discovery and innovation. Kundu also spoke about one of her key focusses: promoting better representation of people in science, and how she, as the Director of Researcher and Community Engagement, plays a central role in Digital Science’s diversity and inclusivity initiatives.
Kundu underlines how actively showcasing stories from the research community that highlight the impact of underrepresentation in research is part of Digital Science’s Community Engagement efforts strategy. By sharing such stories that are underpinned by research information and data, Digital Science aims to foster awareness and encourage actions to promote inclusivity. (See, for example, the recently published article, LGBTQ+ in STEM: examining scholarly conversations)
The interview also delves into the fascinating capabilities of Dimensions, the largest linked research database. In the interview, Kundu explains how Dimensions enables researchers to analyze vast amounts of information and make meaningful connections between different research topics, thanks to the detailed metadata it provides. The platform’s AI-powered analytics tools are crucial in removing limitations to researchers’ search results, facilitating the discovery of relevant research beyond their specialized fields. (Read about the beta launch of Dimensions AI Assistant, a new addition to the Dimensions offerings). She explains that Dimensions allows a seamless cross-disciplinary approach that can be immensely valuable, leading to insights and breakthroughs that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Moreover, Kundu highlights that with the continuous growth of research output, there are challenges related to misinformation and lack of scientific rigor in certain studies. As research is published at an increasingly unprecedented rate, the pressure to succeed in a competitive field can lead some individuals to resort to unethical practices, such as using paper mills to inflate publication records. She emphasizes the need to address how research success is rewarded to create a system that better serves researchers and society, enabling genuine contributions to knowledge and progress.
Read the complete interview: Sustainability, Diversity and AI: How is Digital Science Transforming Research Discovery and Innovation?
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