The SMU Libraries Research & Scholarly Initiatives team offers expertise and instruction on research data management, project planning, geospatial analysis, scholarly impact, and digital humanities. Our Research & Scholarly Initiatives Studio in Fondren Library 106 provides a hub for collaborators across disciplines to engage with innovative scholarly methods.
Together SMU Libraries and OIT staff provide consultations for established and aspiring scholars on research methods, digital scholarship tools and software, GIS and spatial information, high-performance computing, and available research technologies and software. Our Original Research and Scholarship Guides can be used for self-guided learning.
Contact us for guidance on:
- Starting a digital scholarship project or developing in-class instruction on a digital scholarship topic.
- Integrating GIS and spatial information into your projects.
- Consultation with data management planning, description, storage, archiving, and other research data management support.
For in-class instruction on discipline-specific research methods, contact your subject librarian. For consultation on programming, data visualization, cleaning or analysis such as web scraping, contact OIT Data Science Support team.
Meet the Team
Dr. Carrie Johnston is the director of Research and Scholarly Initiatives. She supports advanced research methods for faculty and students across disciplines. She specializes in digital humanities, literary studies, and collaborative research. Carrie earned her Ph.D. in English from SMU in 2014.
Dr. Eric Godat is team lead and data scientist for OIT's Research and Data Science Support Services. He received his doctorate in theoretical high energy physics from SMU working on nuclear parton distribution functions. Eric and his team provide consultative services and workshops to enhance research on campus by using data science, high performance computing, and the internet of things.
Sylvia Jones is a research librarian specializing in GIS and research data management. Sylvia has written on the development and implementation of GIS services in academic libraries and leads the SMU Libraries research data working group. She holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Clark Atlanta University.
Rafia Mirza is a research librarian specializing in collaborative research. She leads the Digital Humanities Research Institute at SMU and facilitates integration of digital resources and methodologies into research and pedagogy through consultations and workshops. Rafia’s research examines the role of documentation in facilitating equitable collaboration and project planning. She holds a Master of Science in Information degree from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Jessie Marshall Zarazaga is clinical associate professor with the Lyle School of Engineering, and director of the Initiative for Spatial Literacy. Dr. Zarazaga explores ways to connect culture and community to place, working across the boundaries of urbanism, landscape mapping, and public engagement. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Science in Engineering from SMU.