Dr. Payne is the first Director of the World Data System International Technology Office (WDS-ITO). The WDS is an operational component of the International Science Council. The ITO was created to support WDS members, a consortium of scientific data distribution centers located around the world delivering data for the public good. In this role, Dr. Payne works with partners to build services that contribute to the global open research commons, an ambitious vision of a global set of interoperable resources necessary for data managers, researchers, and policy makers to address societal grand challenges. As part of this work, Dr. Payne co-chairs the Research Data Alliance Global Open Research Commons International Model Working Group. In Dr. Payne’s previous roles she supported the international community involved in disaster relief and recovery activities, providing services to the WFP, UNOCHA, UNSPIDER and UNHCR. Dr. Payne received her PhD, a joint degree in geography and engineering, from the Australian National University, where her work focused on using artificial intelligence techniques to interpret satellite imagery.

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