Ashley Jester is the Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning at Boston University.  She has a doctorate in political science from Stanford University, where her dissertation focused on the reasons for the domestic politicization of bilateral trade balances.  Ashley’s passion for data and reproducible research brought her to libraries, in which she found a community that was engaged in the same advocacy issues that she had advanced as a Ph.D. candidate.  She began her career in libraries as the Data Services Coordinator at Columbia University in 2012.  Ashley is an expert in statistical analysis and has spent much of her career leading the provision of research data services and directly providing advanced research support, including participating in research projects as the lead biostatistician.  Her work frequently brings her to the intersection of research development and academic support, and she has built a depth of experience in providing comprehensive support for all stages of the research lifecycle.

As the AUL for Research and Learning, Ashley oversees the management of the branch library system, including the central branch Mugar Memorial Library.  She administers the departments providing the core library services of circulation, interlibrary loan, and course reserves as well as the subject specialists, liaisons, and other staff providing research services and collection development across the library system.  She serves as the Co-Chair of Boston University’s Research Data Management and Sharing Working Group,  taking a leading role in helping the campus to prepare for changing funder requirements.  Ashley also remains active in the broader research data community, serving on the Administrative Committee of the International Association for Social Sciences Information Service & Technology (IASSIST).

Profiles

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1523-913X

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyjester/