A list of researchers with computational expertise who are willing to provide virtual support and advice for scientists forced to refocus on computational work due to a crisis.
Expert volunteers: Sign up here if you are willing to be contacted by displaced scientists who need advice on computational work.
Scientists seeking support: Browse the list here to find a volunteer with expertise in an area that you need help with.
When scientists lose access to specialist equipment, lab space and/or samples due to conflicts or other crises, they may wish to take up more computational work, such as data analysis, in order to stay scientifically productive. This requires a computer and an internet connection, of course, but crucially it also requires expertise in fields such as statistics, computer programming, data visualization, machine learning, and so on.
Although the internet provides extensive learning materials in these areas, direct support from an expert is harder to come by and can make a big difference. Some research institutes realized this during the COVID-19 pandemic and set up internal support networks to facilitate connections between computational experts and scientists forced to work from home.
Prompted by the 2022 war in Ukraine, we decided to set up this list as a way of building a support network that is open and accessible to all scientists affected by war and other crises.
Computational experts who sign up to this list consent to being contacted (via the email address provided) by displaced scientists from Ukraine or from other crisis regions who seek advice and support on computational work. The two then decide together how best to proceed; the expert volunteer may for example answer questions via email, provide advice in a virtual meeting, review code in a GitHub repository, or set up a remote pair programming session.
Scientists seeking support: In the initial email contacting the expert, state clearly what you are working on and what kind of support your are looking for, e.g. input on how to approach a problem, help with specific coding/software issues, help in understanding a concept you are learning about, pair programming, or something else.
Expert volunteers: Only accept to help someone if you are experienced with the subject and technology in question and if you have the capacity to give the type of support that is being requested. If you decide that you cannot help someone who contacts you, it would be good to tell them quickly so they can look for someone else.
Code of Conduct: We expect both expert volunteers and scientists seeking support to act in accordance with our Code of Conduct. Violations should be reported to expertvolunteerlist@gmail.com. Experts who reportedly violated the Code of Conduct will have their entry removed from the list. Participants who reportedly violated the Code of Conduct will have their names made known to the experts so they can chose to avoid engaging with said participant. Note that this list functions exclusively as an “address book”, so the resulting interactions are in no way hosted or overseen by the list’s maintainers.
Privacy and Security: Remember that at the end of the day you are engaging in an online interaction with a stranger. Please protect yourself accordingly:
Do not share personal data such as passwords or your home address.
Do not share sensitive research data.
Do not click suspicious links, open suspicious file attachments or run suspicious code.
Step away from interactions that make you feel attacked or uncomfortable for any reason.
Sharing traumatic experiences: Experts should be mindful of the fact that scientists seeking support may be living through (or have recently lived through) extremely traumatic experiences. Be considerate and avoid bringing up topics that may cause anxiety. Conversely, be prepared for the possibility of hearing accounts that could be disturbing. We recommend focusing on the science and if necessary setting clear boundaries on other topics.
This list is not intended for requesting in-person meetings, lab space, or other forms of support that do not qualify as remote computational support. There are numerous other sites that aim to fulfill these needs, including:
Labs offering to host displaced scientists from Ukraine can be found via Science for Ukraine, EMBO Solidarity List, and in this Google Sheet, among other places.
The ASEEES has compiled a list of resources for helping displaced scholars from Ukraine.
The SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online) initiative is another way in which people with computational expertise can help mitigate one of the impacts of the war.
For those who are looking for learning materials in programming and computation, we recommend taking a look at these links:
The research support network team would be available to organise a training workshop if there is enough interest for it. Please let us know if you’re interested in attending such training via this form.
If you would like to be removed from the list or have your email / details changed, please raise an issue on the project’s GitHub repo or write to expertvolunteerlist@gmail.com.
Please report any problems with the submission form or with the list by raising an issue on the GitHub repo or writing an email to expertvolunteerlist@gmail.com.
Disclaimers: This list functions exclusively as an “address book” to facilitate the first step in connecting someone who needs advice with someone who can give it. It is then up to the expert volunteer and the scientist seeking support to privately decide the terms of their interaction and the channels of communication. The maintainers of this list do not mediate or arbitrate these private interactions in any way, other than responding to reported Code of Conduct violations as detailed therein. This list is not affiliated with any organisation. The maintainers of this list may modify or delete all contents of the project’s underlying GitHub repo at any point and in any way they chose.
Please raise an issue on the project’s GitHub repo or write to expertvolunteerlist@gmail.com.
For general discussion you can find some of us on matrix.org.