We are thrilled to announce that Jo Weech has joined the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS) as our new Research Transparency Program Manager. Jo brings robust experience in international development and a passion for advancing open science principles.

In 2024, we successfully awarded Catalyst training grants to emerging scholars and ran the RT2 training course, fostering a global community committed to research excellence. We were honored to receive the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research, recognizing our ongoing commitment to transparency and rigor in the social sciences. In March, we co-hosted the first Berkeley Replication Games with the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession and Economists for Equity at UC Berkeley. We are at an exciting inflection point in growing our network and sharing open science platforms.

Originally from Washington, DC Jo holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from George Washington University and a BA in International Relations from William & Mary. Prior to joining CEGA, Jo managed U.S. government-funded international development programs, overseeing projects on transnational crime, access to justice, and juvenile justice in Latin America. One of her previous projects included supporting the development of an electronic case management system in Honduras, which aims to improve the efficiency and transparency of the justice system. 

Jo is particularly interested in the evidence generation component of evidence-based policymaking and is eager to support research transparency initiatives. Her hobbies include reading science fiction novels, baking muffins, and running.

Looking Ahead

Jo is excited to lead BITSS in convening researchers, practitioners, and institutions with a focus on research transparency, reproducibility, and meta-research. Next year, Jo will work with our Catalysts and research teams to scale up our digital platforms, the Social Science Prediction Platform (SSPP) and the Social Science Reproduction Platform (SSRP), which enhance collaboration and data sharing.

Stay tuned for more updates on these BITSS activities in the coming year:

• SSPP: You can also follow the Social Science Prediction Platform on Twitter for research updates and opportunities (including prizes!) for forecasting. 
• 13th Annual BITSS Meeting: Our next Annual Meeting will take place in February 2025 to discuss the latest developments in research transparency and open science. Please expect the agenda and official announcement soon.
• RT2 Training 2025: Our next Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training is scheduled for June 2025. We will release a call for applications early next year.
• 2025 Catalyst Grants: We will release our RFP for the 2025 Catalyst grants soon.

We invite researchers, practitioners, and graduate students to contribute to our blog. Please see our guidance for authors. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!