Five Minute Profile: interview with Siân Robson

What’s your role at RDS and what does a typical workday involve? 

I'm a Senior Data Analyst funded through the Administrative Data Research (ADR) Scotland programme. My priority task is preparing datasets that will be made available for research in the Scottish National Safe Haven.

I also lead projects requiring engagement with other teams in RDS and with external organisations. Since I started in September 2024, this has included improving the linkage rate of the Looked After Children Longitudinal Dataset to other datasets and considering how the Equalities Protected Characteristics Dataset and other data on protected characteristics are shielded and used effectively in research. More recently, I’ve been working on improvements to metadata on datasets listed in the RDS metadata catalogue.  

What’s your background and how does it give you additional insight to your work at RDS? 

My professional background is very mixed, but all of the things I have done have relevance to my work in RDS. It’s fantastic to be in an organisation where I can apply the knowledge I have gained in different contexts. I previously conducted research on neuroimaging of healthy visual systems in the brain, and on the underlying basis of depression and psychosis.

I also worked in research support for university grant funding. I analysed NHS data on antimicrobial prescribing and resistance and I worked on child protection policy in national government. Through these roles, I have an understanding of academic research and funding, NHS data analysis and use of data in policy, all of which are key points of engagement for RDS. 

What difference do you hope RDS will make? 

The aim of RDS is to make it faster and simpler to access public sector data for research. This says it all. I believe in RDS playing a key role in taking stock of the complexities around data collection and use in Scotland, bringing together various organisations to support simplification and standardisation of processes. I am particularly interested in doing this for data on health and children, as these are areas I’ve worked on in the past and can see that improvements around data could really benefit people in the long run. 

What’s a highlight and a challenge of your role? 

A rewarding aspect of the role is delivering work that will enable research that ultimately could improve lives. Working with the team at RDS is also a highlight. There are some very talented people here and the culture is highly supportive. We work in a context of shared challenges that public sector organisations face in making changes to the data-for-research landscape. I enjoy learning about the challenges, highlighting opportunities and working collaboratively with other organisations to plan and put improvements in place.