EAGER: Fact-Gathering and Planning for a National-Scale Cyberpractitioner Program

Internet2, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Workforce development and career pathways of non-faculty IT professionals, scientists, and engineers who are in the support role of the computation and data-enabled scientific research and development enterprises at various universities, supercomputing and other centers and national laboratories are issues of national importance. This project proposes a workshop and related set of activities to explore and report on the status, career pathways, training, and growth opportunities of this community of "cyber-practitioners." The workshop's results will impact the community itself, and those communities of faculty members, students, domain scientists and administrators it interfaces with. This project will help map the contemporary landscape of cyber-practitioner skills and occupations, help identify professional development opportunities, and suggest better ways of integration into the university structures and other administrative units relevant to this community. The workshop will bring together a diverse set of stakeholders including non-faculty IT and scientific professionals from universities, computing centers including supercomputing centers and programs such as XSEDE, campus champions, and from national laboratories, and representatives from faculty in computational sciences, and university administration. The project will carry out a career-path analysis survey to document cyber-practitioner career progressions, and prepare a skills inventory of their soft and hard skills. The workshop intends to define the cyber-practitioner profession and address questions pertaining to entry into and exit from the profession, career challenges, typical modes of training and preparations, and growth options and fit within university and other relevant administrative structures.