Ditta Szabó earned her PhD in Uralic linguistics in 2023. Her field of specialization is the study of the Permic languages (Udmurt and Komi), with a focus on the grammaticalization of past tenses and evidentiality. She has been affiliated with the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics since 2021, spending 3.5 years as a researcher before taking on the role of data steward in October 2024. From the beginning, she has played an active role in organizing the Uralic Information Centre, which includes planning and moderating lectures, preparing newsletters, and maintaining the website. Since 2023, she has also been responsible for the layout of the annual journal Nyelvtudományi Közlemények. In addition, starting in January 2025, she holds the position of scientific secretary, supporting both researchers and leadership alongside her data stewardship duties.

At the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics, her responsibilities as data steward include conducting interviews with researchers about their research data holdings, assisting in the preparation of data management plans, and informing staff about data handling and storage options. She began her Data Science studies in January 2024 and actively applies the knowledge gained there in her data steward role.

“Although the Research Centre for Linguistics is fairly homogeneous in terms of academic discipline, interviews with the research groups have revealed vast differences between projects in terms of both the types of data produced and the infrastructure required. What I particularly enjoy about being a data steward is the opportunity to build personal connections with our researchers and to learn about their work.”

Starting from July 2025, Ditta Szabó will be replaced for an indefinite period by Fruzsina Vargha.