Nel is the Library Citizen Science Engagement Officer at the University of Edinburgh, UK. There, they are working with the OpenResearch team to develop new services to support and encourage researchers undertaking participatory research practices, and they are keen to explore how the Library facilities – including the vast and diverse collections – might facilitate this end.

Nel joined the Open Research team in 2023, having completed a Master’s in Collections and Curating Practices, where their thesis explored the ways in which Citizen Science might be used as a tool for inclusion in museums. Prior to this, Nel was a researcher in the philosophy and history of science, specialising in inferential modelling, research methodologies, and the philosophy of cognitive science.