Hi everybody, this is Heather. I wanted to let you know I’m stepping down from OurResearch, effective mid-June 2022.
I’m so proud of what we’ve built over the last 10 years. I firmly believe the team will keep doing great things to advance open infrastructure in scholarly communications. My departure is on the most amicable of terms, and I will remain on the Board of Directors and OurResearch’s biggest fan.
Why leave? I’m ready for a change. This move has been in the works for some time. To start with I’ll take a few months off to rest and spend with my family (and cycle, read, and eat cookies) and then I’m not sure!
Will keep this short and sweet because otherwise I’ll probably cry — building these ideas and tools with Jason has always been a labour of love. Wishing everyone the best.
Rooting for the openiest of science ASAP,
Heather
Hey, this is Jason. This post is tough to write because I’d really like to say something profound and moving, something that expresses how much the last eleven years working with Heather have meant to me. Something that expresses how much I admire, respect, and love her. Something that conveys how OurResearch will always be incomplete without her–but how, at the same time, I’m 100% sure that we’ll continue to grow and prosper, thanks to the work she’s put in.
Now, I know that y’all know Heather is amazing. You know she’s smart and tough and kind and pragmatic and idealistic and authentic and clever and relentless and funny. You know that she’s put her heart and soul and love and self into Open Science and into OurResearch, and you know that she’s got a bigger heart and soul and love and self than just about anyone.
But y’all don’t know it like I know it. I’ve seen it, up close, for eleven years. I’ve seen her on sleepless nights, when we had no money, when people were being mean, when servers were down, in the darkest and toughest of times. And I’ve never stopped being inspired by her. I’ve seen her perform code miracles and budget miracles and admin miracles and everything in between. And more than that: I’ve seen her do it with unflagging kindness, humility, and integrity. I’ve seen her as few have.
And I’m forever, deeply grateful for that: that I got to see her in action, be on her team, experience all the crazy highs and lows and sidewayses of cofounderdom with her. It’s been a profound honor.
So even more than I’ll miss Heather, I’m grateful for Heather. And I’ll be trying very hard to live up to her example, to practice all I’ve learned from her. Which means I’ll be working my guts out for OurResearch, because I believe in it with all my heart. We’ve got a great product in OpenAlex, a great team, a great board (including Heather still, huzzah!) and we’re going to be doing great things. I know that’s what Heather wants, and it’s what I want, and by golly we’ll do it.
I’ll miss you, Heath. Thanks for a great decade. We won’t let you down.
j