An Interview with Philip Leadbitter on developing Skills4Scientists
Philip Leadbitter, a Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, plays a central role in shaping the Skills4Scientists initiative. He is responsible for tracking progress, coordinating contributions, and leading the development of courses to ensure they remain practical, inclusive, and high-quality.
Skills4Scientists: Bridging the Skills Gap for Researchers
In the fast-evolving world of scientific research, modern researchers must navigate research data management, good scientific practices (such as ethical considerations), and understand coding fundamentals. Staying ahead requires more than just expertise in a specific field; it requires continual professional development. Recognising this need within the Physical Sciences, PSDI (Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure) has created the Skills4Scientists, training initiative. Designed to equip researchers with these now essential skills and to prepare researchers for the demanding world of contemporary science.
What is Skills4Scientists?
Originally launched through the AI4SD Network+ and PSDS, Skills4Scientists began as a series of in-person lectures, the aim of which was to provide research interns with the skills their programmes had missed. Covering areas such as referencing, report writing, coding, and research data management. Recognising the continued need for these skills within the wider research ecosystem the provision was expanded.
The PSDI team evolved Skills4Scientists into a structured, interactive learning resource, offering high-quality, online, self-paced courses. These are accessible to any researcher at any stage in their career.
“One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is ensuring that the courses are comprehensive enough for independent learning. Unlike in-person training, online learners don’t have the option to ask questions in real time, so we need to ensure the material is clear, detailed and engaging from the outset.”
The training is currently hosted using the Moodle platform. It enables the flexibility to adapt and expand as needs and technologies evolve. While many of the courses are openly accessible without login, advanced functionality, (including quizzes and interactive code elements) is available specifically to registered PSDI users.
What Skills Does It Cover?
“Our aim is to ensure researchers aren’t left playing catch-up due to a lack of training.”
re some key ‘knowledge gaps’ Skill4Scientists includes:
- Coding & Data Science: Courses on Python and data visualisation, are helping researchers develop & apply fundamental programming skills.
- Research Data Management: Understanding how to store, organise, and share research data efficiently.
- FAIR Data Principles: Teaching researchers how to make their data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR).
- Version Control & GitHub: Essential for managing code and collaborating effectively.
Why It Matters
For researchers, having access to high-quality training resources can significantly enhance their skills and efficiency. While many scientists receive training through their academic and professional journeys, there can still be gaps, particularly as research practices evolve and new digital tools emerge.
“Whether it’s coding, research data management, or the literature that we access, being able to navigate these in the digital research landscape and understand the ethical considerations that go with the technology is essential.”
Skills4Scientists aims to bridge these gaps by offering a trusted, well-structured learning platform that complements existing training and supports researchers at various stages of their careers. Upskilling the physical sciences community and promoting data best practices are also critical to driving data-driven research and innovation across the field.
Whether you’re a PhD student looking to improve your data management skills or an established researcher needing a refresher in coding; Skills4Scientists offers a valuable resource to enhance your capabilities. Philip encourages all researchers to explore the resources available:
“No matter where you are in your career, I’d recommend taking a look. You might be surprised at what you find—there’s always something new to learn, and these courses are designed to make that process as easy and accessible as possible.”
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The Future of Skills4Scientists
As Skills4Scientists continues to grow, the team envisions expanding both its reach and its content. Future plans include:
- Increasing Course Offerings: Community discussions are in progress to determine what other training the community wants delivered.
- Broadening Accessibility: Initially aimed at UK researchers, there is potential to expand its availability to a global audience, including students and industry professionals.
- Facilitating Taught Courses: Beyond self-paced learning, Skills4Scientists aims to provide structured course materials that educators can integrate into their own teaching programmes.
- Collaboration & Partnerships: The team is keen to work with external experts to develop new courses and ensure the training remains cutting-edge and widely applicable.
Philip highlights the initiative’s long-term vision:
“We want Skills4Scientists to become a trusted resource that researchers and educators alike can rely on. Whether that’s through self-paced learning or structured teaching materials, we hope to make high-quality training accessible to as many people as possible.”
Because in today’s ever-changing world, standing still means falling behind. Skills4Scientists is here to make sure you’re always one step ahead.
Discover More
To learn more about Skills4Scientists and explore the available courses, visit the Skills4Scientists Knowledge Base
If you have teaching content that you are interested in making available through PSDI, are wanting to use our resources in your teaching or have ideas to collaborate on skills training we’d love to hear from you, you can reach us on [email protected].