Understanding the Needs of the Modern Research Scientist

Traditionally, the role of a research scientist was strictly to design and complete experiments in order to expand the understanding of a natural phenomenon. Like many fields, this role is ever changing and expanding. The modern day research scientist is now expected to additionally have skills in marketing, grant writing, teaching, educational outreach and data management, often with little to no professional development in these facets. With the expansion of the research scientist role, researchers are now encouraged to seek support to fulfill these obligations from funding bodies and their institutions; however, they are unaware of the resources available to them. As an Oceanography Research Scientist transitioning to Library Science, I aim to provide insight into the changes occurring for researchers and how librarians can be a better part of this progression.