Sumbul Jafri - Short Interview
Sumbul Jafri - Short Interview
Today we are talking about Open Science - a topic that is becoming increasingly important and the subject of much discussion. How did you come to this topic?
I was introduced to Open Science during my master’s at the University of Oldenburg. I had always valued transparency and accessibility in science communication but hadn’t fully realized how central Open Science is to achieving that. While working on my thesis using multiverse analyses for fMRI data, I saw firsthand how deep the reproducibility crisis runs in neuroscience and psychology. That experience made me appreciate how essential transparent and reproducible practices are for meaningful scientific progress.
What is behind your initiative or project and how does it actually support Open Science?
Our project, the Oldenburg Hearing Health Record (OHHR), was created to address the lack of large, openly accessible hearing health datasets. We demonstrated that medical data can be shared ethically by providing a well-documented, FAIR-compliant dataset on a public repository such as Zenodo, complete with metadata, codebooks, and analysis tools. By making the data easy to access and reuse, OHHR encourages collaboration and sets an example for responsible data sharing in hearing research and beyond.
What (scientific) aspirations do you personally associate with Open Science and how does this manifest itself in your daily work?
For me, Open Science is about creating the conditions for true collaboration - where data, methods, and results are not just available, but genuinely accessible and usable by others. It’s not enough to upload code or data without context; sharing should empower researchers from different fields to build on each other’s work. In my daily practice, I try to focus on clear documentation, transparent methods, and reproducible analyses to ensure my research can be understood and reused by the wider community.
What would an ideal Open Science world look like for you?
In an ideal Open Science world, access to knowledge would never be limited by paywalls or institutional barriers. Everyone, regardless of background or location, would have the opportunity to engage with research, contribute, and innovate. A culture of openness, integrity, and learning from mistakes would drive science forward.
Finally, what advice do you have for Open Science newcomers?
Practicing Open Science can feel daunting at first, but it actually makes research easier, more credible, and more impactful in the long run. Start small, focus on transparency and reproducibility in your current work, even if it’s just sharing data or clear documentation. It’s a skill that will serve you throughout your career, and there’s a supportive community ready to help.