Karl Benedict

Dr. Karl Benedict has worked since 1986 in parallel tracks of geospatial information technology, data management and analysis and archaeology. He currently serves as the Director of Research Data Services (Associate Professor) in the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences (CUL&LS) at the University of New Mexico. Prior to this appointment, he served for five years as the Director of the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) while concurrently serving as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography (five years) and in CUL&LS (nearly three years) at UNM. He has previously worked for the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and in the private sector conducting archaeological research, developing geospatial databases, performing geospatial and statistical analyses, and developing web-based information delivery applications. During his tenure at EDAC he developed and managed the development of geographic information technology capacity in support of multiple research and application domains including public health, resource management, hydro-climate research, atmospheric modeling, disaster planning and mitigation, and renewable energy research. His current foci include the development of open standards-based interoperable information architectures that are highly flexible, scalable and evolvable through the integration of emerging technologies in separate application tiers; and streamlining the integration of research data products into those architectures to maximize the ongoing value of those data. His ongoing work in the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences focuses on managing the Research Data Services program to maximize the ability of UNM's researchers to effectively manage their research data during the research process and maximize the discovery, access and use of the developed research data products long after the end of the research projects that created them.

Dr. Benedict currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Earth Science (2014-present) and is the past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Foundation (2012-2014); he also served as President  (2012-14), Vice President (2011),  Type III Representative (2010-2011), and Information Technology and Interoperability Committee Chair  (2004-2010) for the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners.