Tobin is an expert in research data management tools and best practices throughout the research data lifecycle. They support researchers through one-on-one consultation and workshops on topics ranging from writing data management plans, choosing the right data storage for research projects, streamlining research data workflows, data security, and sharing research data with collaborators and the public. They are also responsible for maintaining operations for the Research Data Storage Service (RDSS) and the Globus data transfer tool.
Tobin also collaborates with staff in the University libraries, Galter Health Sciences Library, and the Office of Research on a larger data management effort to support researchers with the NIH data management and sharing plan requirement and similar policies from other funding agencies and publishers. As part of this collaboration, Tobin can help researchers publish their data in the Dryad data repository.
Tobin started their career as a Microbiologist studying brain parasites in her PhD work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then malaria transmission as a postdoc at Loyola University. They have used the skills from their scientific training to support researchers from all disciplines at four different institutions since 2014, including an NLM administrative supplement award to provide data curation assistance for a grant studying miRNAS associated with alcoholism endotypes in 2015. Tobin is also active in the research support community nationwide. They co-coordinate the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC) researcher-facing track which provides monthly professional development opportunities for research support staff across the country. They are also an active member and former president of the Research Data Access and Preservation Association, which advocates for creating and disseminating research data best practices for information professionals.