Open Pulse Mini Hackathon
As an EPFL Life Science Engineer, my main interest is to do science with an impact. FAIR principals guide my work style, and I strive for user-centric infrastructure to encompass data science in the biomedical and governmental spheres. I have experience in Global Health, working with multi-hospital surveillance system for pandemics, as well as training data scientist (thegraphcourses.org). My core side-interests lie in ocean conservation notably cetacean conservation, biodiversity, and untreated health problematics from lower and middle income countries. I have solid hard skills in problem-solving, data engineering in AI/ML, and have developed soft skills in creativity and social integration. I have acquired domain knowledge in a diversity of fields: from biology-related sciences such as human gut microbiology, epidemiology, and environmental sciences, as well as social sciences such as anthropology and psychology. I am always happy to engage with new people on innovative and impactful thematics so please do reach out!
Robin joined the SDSC in 2022. He received an MSc. in Management, Economics & Consumer Studies from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands. After his studies, he developed himself into a consultant in the area of ontology & linked data modelling, working mostly in the domain of local and national infrastructure projects. He has a great interest in standardization efforts in the field of semantic web technology standards and is actively working at SDSC with clients and collaborators to stimulate their adoption.
Carlos Vivar Ríos joined the SDSC in 2023, where he is part of the Open Research Data and Engagement Unit (ORDES). As a multidisciplinary data engineer, he brings a diverse background in biology, cognitive sciences, and bioinformatics from the University of Malaga. His multifaceted professional career spans several disciplines, including genomics at RIKEN in Yokohama, multidimensional image analysis in microscopy at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), and cellular biology modeling at INRIA in Lyon. Carlos has been involved in a variety of projects, such as analyzing astrocyte calcium dynamics, de novo sequencing Solea senegalensis, drug repurposing for Alzheimer's based on GWAS studies, conducting geospatial analysis for linguistic corpora, and assessing drought through remote sensing. He is dedicated to advancing reproducible research methods and actively supports the open science movement.
Oksana is a disruptive innovator bringing her positive energy to projects. Driven by her curiosity and can-do attitude she excels in industrial and academic contexts. Oksana earned her PhD in Life Sciences and Bioinformatics from the University of Lausanne after two MSc in Bioinformatics and in Information Systems from the University of Geneva. For more than 10 years, she has been committed to actively promoting the value of data science and advocating the best practices for reproducible and ethical research. She believes that Swiss Data Science Center is a key player in building a competitive data economy in Switzerland leveraging its innovative potential and renown commitment to quality.
Presentation
Open Pulse is an open research data toolset developed by EPFL Open Science and the SDSC. It automates the discovery and monitoring of open-source software outputs and their impact, laying the groundwork for making these contributions visible, measurable, and valued within research institutions. Unlike traditional metrics that focus on volume—such as downloads or citations—Open Pulse emphasizes community engagement and collaboration as the true measures of impact. By introducing meaningful quality metrics, it reveals which open-source software projects thrive, how communities interact, and the level of FAIRness, offering a clearer picture of open-source software contributions’ true value.
Target audience:
We welcome researchers, software developers, science administrators, data scientists, research software engineers, IT & library professionals, and anyone involved or interested in producing, maintaining, or assessing open-source software in research.
No coding expertise is required. Conceptual, strategic, and community insights are just as valuable as technical skills. If you care about how open-source software is recognized, evaluated, or sustained in academia, this is your chance to shape the future of open science.
Details
Date: 25.11.2025
Time: 09:00 - 15:00
Location: EPFL Lausanne, room BC 05
Programme
During a focused half-day sprint, you will join an interdisciplinary team of 3–4 participants to dive into the Open Pulse interface and tackle themed challenges - or pursue your own project idea related to open-source software.
Your team can prototype dashboards, interactive notebooks, simulations, or other creative outputs that show how Open Pulse metrics can inform research evaluation, strengthen engagement, and guide institutional strategy. You’ll have the opportunity to present your solution in a lightning demo session, receive practical guidance and peer feedback, and celebrate standout contributions during a prize ceremony.
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