Agentic AI & research data
Designing transparent, persona-based systems that support FAIR metadata, schema creation, repository publication, and scientific interoperability.
Related writing & research →Research technology leader · academic researcher · IT project manager · author
Raymond John
Uzwyshyn
PhD · MBA (Information Technology Management) · MLIS
Building intellectual and technical infrastructures for research in the era of artificial intelligence.
Research across artificial intelligence, research data, digital scholarship, and emerging technologies. I develop institutional strategies, AI literacy and R&D infrastructures for research universities and libraries, translating emerging technologies into implementable research services, teaching programs, and digital scholarly communication ecosystems.
25+years across research universities, academic technology, and research libraries
148 / 56K+ResearchGate research artifacts/ thousands of downloads reported in 2026
GlobalIFLA · RDA · IMLS · Gates Foundation · NSF-supported research computing · UC / ARL
Degrees graduate degrees across media, research, IT management, humanities, social and information science
Research profile
A portfolio of consequential questions
AI literacy & research computing
Developing library-led approaches that make advanced models, local AI, and computational research more legible and broadly available.
Related writing & research →Digital scholarship & open research
Connecting data and digital repositories, visualization, preservation, scholarly communication, AI and open-source tools into sustainable research ecosystems.
Related writing & research →Media theory & creative inquiry
Reading technology through cinema, philosophy, psychoanalysis, cultural theory, visual semiotic systems, and the longer history of human knowledge.
Related writing & research →Featured research
Selected work
Established scholarship, research infrastructure, and applied technology work .
New Horizons in Artificial Intelligence in Libraries
Co-edited open-access volume on AI, machine learning, natural-language processing, and emerging infrastructures for libraries and research institutions.
Read book ↗The Research Data Director
A persona-based architectural blueprint for research data, metadata, schema creation, crosswalks, and repository publication. RDA/Microsoft Collaboration
Read blueprint ↗Reimagining Education in the Age of AI
A strategic account of the shift from information scarcity toward abundant intelligence and the need for new forms of AI literacy.
Read article ↗Open-Source and Local AI for the Other 95%
A pragmatic methodology for AI literacy, local and open LLMs, and accessible research-computing infrastructure.
Read paper ↗Developing an Open Source Digital Scholarship Ecosystem
A sustainable open infrastructure model for digital scholarship and research services; associated with the ICEIT Award of Excellence at Oxford.
Read paper ↗An Arbitrage Opportunity for Image Search and Retrieval
Research on visual-search metaphors, metadata, and retrieval connecting information architecture with interaction and interface design.
Read paper ↗Education
Interdisciplinary formation
PhD, Media Studies
New York University
MBA, Information Technology Management
American Public University
MLIS, Library & Information Science
University of Western Ontario
MA, Media Studies
New York University
BA (Advanced), English / Film
University of Manitoba
Certificates & additional study
Multimedia/Web Design · Business Information Systems · French immersion
Experience
Academic leadership across research, collections, and technology
2024—present
University of California, Riverside
Acting Associate University Librarian for Research & Technology; Director of Research Services
Leadership for research services, emerging technology, AI & data-intensive scholarship, AI literacy, research computing partnerships, and program strategy.
2022—2024
Mississippi State University
Associate Dean, Research Collections; Strategy & Research Impact Coordinator
Directed research collections and advanced strategy, assessment, scholarly research impact, and technology-enabled research services.
2014—2022
Texas State University
Director, Research Collections & Digital Services
Built digital scholarship, research data, repositories, digital preservation and digitization programs, online and enhanced technology learning-spaces, data visualization infrastuctures and emerging-technology programs.
2011—2014
American Public University System
Director, Online Libraries & eLearning
Led a global online academic library and university online course-guide infrastructure (1800 university courses), dat-driven edtech analytics, quality assurance, and large-scale online learning support.
2006—2010
University of West Florida
Head, Digital & Learning Technologies
Developed digital library, multimedia, web, visualization, and next-generation learning-space services (UWF Skylab).
2002—2006
University of Miami
Webmaster / Web Services Librarian
Led library web strategy and early digital initiatives and fellows program, multimedia systems lab, and faculty/student data and research digital multimodal -information projects and digital library/archives development
1996—2000
New York University
Film Library Coordinator, Everson Film Archives
Supported media, telecommunications and cinema scholarship, archival collections and early digitization , teaching, and film library administration and media research.
Publications
Selected scholarship
- 2025Balnaves, E., Butrini, L., Cox, A., & Uzwyshyn, R., eds. New Horizons in Artificial Intelligence in Libraries. De Gruyter / IFLA.
- 2026
- 2025Reimagining Education in the Age of AI. Education Technology Insights.
- 2026Open-Source and Local AI for the Other 95%. Research Computing for Smaller Institutions proceedings.
- 2020Developing an Open Source Digital Scholarship Ecosystem. ICEIT proceedings.
- 2009An Arbitrage Opportunity for Image Search and Retrieval. ASIS&T Bulletin; Publication of the Year recognition.
Presentations
Recent invited, national, and international work
Complete presentation archive →The Research Data Director
Persona-based agentic AI for FAIR research data, metadata, schema, and crosswalk workflows.
Read blueprint ↗Building AI Literacy Infrastructures
UC Riverside Libraries’ multi-unit integration model.
View slides ↗Open-Source AI for the Other 95%
A library-led model for accessible research computing.
View slides ↗The Arc of Experience and Future of Academic Libraries
A strategic view of institutional memory, technological change, and library futures.
View presentation record →AI-Assisted Development
Vibe coding demonstrations for research and learning applications.
View slides ↗Building Academic Research Library Artificial Intelligence Capacity: A Strategic Multi-Unit Integration Model
Strategic multi-unit integration at UC Riverside.
View presentation ↗AI Coding and Programming · 2025—2026
Applications, prototypes & development methods
Agentic AI & research systems
Research-data architectures, personas, metadata workflows, FAIR infrastructure, and agentic system concepts.
Applications & experimental prototypes
Applied and exploratory systems across education, cultural analysis, research support, creative practice, and product concepts.
Data visualization & dashboards
Interactive systems that translate complex research, institutional, and market evidence into usable visual form.
Interface design & UX
Research and product interfaces where information architecture, interaction, visual language, and documentation are treated as substantive design work.
AI-related research, social media, and public scholarship · 2022—2026
An open editorial archive
A separate thematic archive of long-form public scholarship on AI, science, education, media, institutions, and technological change.
Enter the writing archiveTechnical analysis & model evaluationScience & technology AI literacyEconomic transformation & market dynamicsHuman–AI collaboration & co-intelligenceEducation & knowledge systemsCreative industries & mediaAdvanced applications & case studiesAI-enhanced scientific discoverySociocultural impact & futures
Complete academic record
Institutional leadership, service, teaching, and continuing inquiry
01
Awards, Grants & Proposals
- 2026 Wander Rover: Autonomous AI-Driven Planetary Exploration, Amazon Think Big Science Research Awards proposal.
- 2026 Humanities and AI capabilities proposal, Schmidt Sciences.
- 2024–25 IFLA Dynamic Unit Award for Quality Impact of Work, Information Technology Section.
- 2021 Campus Technology Impact Award for Texas State’s digital scholarly research system.
- 2020 ICEIT Award of Excellence, Oxford, for developing a digital scholarship ecosystem.
- 2012 IMS Global Learning Impact Gold Medal and NUTN Distance Education Innovation Award.
- 2009 / 2008 ASIS&T Publication of the Year; Emerald Outstanding Academic Research Paper.
02
Committees
University, system, state, national, and international participation spanning research strategy, AI, research computing, digital oversight, data repositories, collections, learning technologies, and faculty services.
Boards & committees →03
Volunteer Work & Service
- 2026— Research Data Alliance; Microsoft/RDA Global Agentic AI initiative and working-group contributions.
- 2025 NeurIPS reviewer.
- 2021—25 Elected Standing Committee Member, IFLA Information Technology Section.
- 2021—24 Editor, Trends and Issues in Library Technology.
- International review, governance, conference, and professional-association service across research libraries and information technology.
04
Strategy, Infrastructures & Digital Development
Selected institutional initiatives include AI literacy and research-technology programs at UC Riverside; research collections and impact strategy at Mississippi State; open-source digital scholarship, preservation, research-data, and learning-space infrastructures at Texas State; award-winning online course-guide systems at APUS; and early visualization, multimedia, and digital-library platforms at UWF and Miami.
UCR Research Services accomplishments ↗Institutional leadership record →05
Research and Creative Work
White papers, R&D, interactive multimedia, videography, and creative work
A long-form experimental practice connects technological research with visual culture and humanistic inquiry. Current work includes AI-lab strategy, model evaluation, dashboards, research-data systems, and institutional futures; earlier work spans information visualization, digital image libraries, cinema and media studies, interactive systems, and creative digital scholarship.
Explore the full creative research record ↗Research & publication archive →06
Teaching, Workshop & Course Development
Recent teaching centers on deep-research models, AI-assisted development, prompt and model literacy, AI video, research visualization, data repositories, and responsible use. Earlier courses and workshops address information design, web development, digital scholarship, visual information, research methods, and academic technology.
Teaching & workshop archive →07
Training, Professional Development & Certifications
Continuing professional development in cybersecurity, responsible AI, research computing, data stewardship, digital preservation, project and technology management, assessment, leadership, and emerging academic technologies.
Professional development in academic record →08
MLIS Graduate Coursework
Graduate formation in information organization, reference and research services, information systems, management, collections, digital libraries, information behavior, research methods, and the social foundations of information institutions.
09
Professional Organization Memberships
10
Languages
English
Primary
French
Secondary; immersion study
Ukrainian
Secondary
Contact & collaboration
Research, collaboration & selected engagements
Research collaboration, invited presentations, teaching and workshops, editorial work, board service, and selected advisory and consulting engagements across academic, research, nonprofit, public-sector, medical, and corporate settings.