Research Metadata Specialist

1000scholars; Oost-Vlaanderen; Remote; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

VIB in Ghent, Belgium, is seeking a Research Metadata Specialist to shape how life-science data is described, connected and exchanged across data platforms. You will link datasets to samples, experiments, projects and publications, making information machine-readable for reuse, reporting, automation and responsible AI.

You will collaborate with researchers, data stewards and developers to create practical metadata models, mappings and validation rules, and to train teams on templates and

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Experience with metadata in life-science research across data types.
• Ability to read API documentation and work with JSON or XML; scripting.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain metadata models connecting life-science data with context.
• Apply standards, vocabularies, ontologies and persistent identifiers with domain experts.
• Build and maintain mappings between local systems, central data platform and external repositories.
• Develop lightweight API-based workflows to retrieve and transform metadata; collaborate with developers.
• Define quality requirements and validation rules; help automate them.
• Coordinate review, testing, versioning and documentation of metadata models and templates.
• Train developers, data stewards and users and iterate improvements.

Skills

Metadata design

API workflows

JSON/XML

Git

Education

Master's degree or equivalent in bioinformatics / data science

Tools

RDF

JSON-LD

Job description

Research Metadata Specialist
VIB
Ghent, Belgium

About the role

Life-science data reaches its full value only when it is well described, connected and reusable. At VIB Data Core, you will help make that possible.
As our Research Metadata Specialist, you shape how life-science data is described, connected and exchanged across VIB's data platforms, institutional systems and external repositories. You link datasets to the information that gives them meaning: samples, experiments, projects and publications. You make that information structured, machine-readable and consistent, so it supports scientific reuse, institutional reporting, automation and responsible AI.
You work closely with researchers, data stewards, developers and repository teams, and you turn their needs into practical metadata models, mappings and validation rules.

What you will do:

• Design and maintain metadata models that connect diverse life-science data (omics, imaging, spatial, etc.) with their scientific and administrative context.
• Select and apply the right standards, controlled vocabularies, ontologies and persistent identifiers, together with domain experts.
• Build and maintain mappings between local systems, the central data platform, external repositories, literature databases and institutional reporting.
• Develop and maintain lightweight, API-based workflows to retrieve and transform metadata and apply mappings, working with developers to integrate the resulting metadata into target systems.
• Define quality requirements and validation rules, and help automate them.
• Coordinate the review, testing, versioning and documentation of metadata models and templates.
• Support and train developers, data stewards and users and use their feedback to keep improving templates and workflows.

Your profile

We welcome applicants from different backgrounds and career paths. If you meet most of the essential requirements, we encourage you to apply.

You bring:

• A Master's degree in bioinformatics, data science, information science, life sciences or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Several years of experience with metadata in life-science research, across a range of data types.
• Experience designing or maintaining metadata schemas, data models or mappings.
• A practical understanding of metadata standards, vocabularies, persistent identifiers and provenance, and how they support FAIR data.
• The ability to read API documentation, work with JSON or XML, and use or adapt scripts.
• Familiarity with Git and with testing and documenting changes.
• A structured, collaborative way of working, with clear communication and documentation.

Strong assets:

• Experience with research repositories, bibliographic databases, data deposition or federated data platforms.
• Experience with ontologies or semantic technologies such as RDF or JSON-LD.
• Experience building reusable metadata transformation or validation tools.