Interview with SCIoI’s project manager, Konstantin Olschofsky
An interview with SCIoI’s project manager, Konstantin Olschofsky. Based on a chat with Pia Bideau.
Hello Konstantin, welcome to SCIoI! Could you tell us three things we should know about you?
Thank you for this warm welcome. I’ve been working here since July and have already met many interesting people, all full of ideas and scientific curiosity. To answer your question, I’d start by saying that I am a forest scientist in the field of computer modeling. Another thing you should know about me is that during the last years I’ve worked as program manager for Hamburg Open Science, a program that fosters scientific IT infrastructures and services for universities across Hamburg. And number three: I am passionate about history and monument conservation.
What do you do as a project manager at SCIoI?
I support the development of the Coordination Office projects, and I also assist the managing director, Kathleen. If anyone at SCIoI needs any assistance with project management, they can make an appointment with me and book my consulting time.
What are your first big projects?
There are two: first, to update the website by the beginning of next year. Hopefully, by then we will have a central dataset with all of the scientific projects’ descriptions, results, and affiliations, and we will use the data to generate website content. My second project is to support the next steps in the development of the Coordination Office.
What kind of input do you expect from SCIoI scientist?
I would like them to update their projects and personal descriptions. By the end of this year, I would like to visit all project teams personally, in order to get to know the people and their scientific work. The current website and different surveys currently contain lots of information. I am aiming to understand this information in detail.
You mentioned that you would like to develop the Coordination Office, what do you mean by that?
I intend to moderate the evolution of our recently completed coordination team, which is now finally fully staffed. The newly created “sub-teams” (IT, communication and PR, lab management) are now getting to know each other and need to start organise their work together. To give those teams a big boost, we are organising a team retreat in October.
Do you have any expectations for this retreat?
Yes, that we all get to know each other, talk about ideas, and about the experiences made so far. Our aim is to come up with an updated list of services.
What motivates you most?
Working with people and doing practical things while we all foster our personal development simultaneously.
Where do you see your personal challenge within SCIoI?
At SCIoI I will need to adapt activities to unforeseen developments, and give support to others with my experience through agile methods in a VUCA World. VUCA means Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity und Ambiguity. And I am ready for this challenge.
