Meet your MDL: Ken Lui

Ken Lui is a data curation specialist at Map & Data Library (MDL). He graduated from the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. He has a strong interest in research data management, research reproducibility, and open source tools. He is also a proud Blue Jays fan🐦. 

Learn more about Ken:

Q: What's your area of specialization within maps and data services?

A: My specialization focuses on research data management (RDM), with a focus on data curation at MDL. More specifically, the work involves how to make research data more FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable. We offer different services to achieve this, such as the U of T Dataverse for researchers to deposit their research datasets; a data curation review service that ensures best practices in RDM are applied.  

Q: What's your favorite tool that’s available at MDL?

A: Python! I am a heavy Python user, which helps me develop automated workflows, analyze data, and tools that assist data curation efforts. With Python, there are so many opportunities. I am also an open-source tool enthusiast, and my favorites include uv, VS Code, duckdb, and many others!

Q: Which emerging technology or trend in your field excites you the most?

A: It might sound like cliché, but the application and implications of RDM excite me the most. There could be many applications, such as writing documentation, generating metadata, and helping with data curation efforts leveraging AI. Yet, these applications are still very preliminary, so there are many opportunities ahead. However, when it comes to research data and its AI applications, we should be cautious, as they may involve sensitive data. 

If you think Ken or someone else at MDL could help you with your research, please reach out!