What They Don't Tell You About the Data Science to RSE Transition

What does it mean to transition from data science to research software engineering? While both involve code, data, and scientific context; the lens through which project decisions are evaluated is dramatically different. Data science centers individual analysis and knowledge creation, while RSE work centers other people’s research and tool creation. This talk draws on firsthand experience of that transition, grounded in the development of PSIDkinfindR, an R package for reproducible kinship and family network analysis on the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) – the longest running longitudinal household survey in the world with more than 7600 peer-reviewed publications based on it . I trace the trajectory of RSE skill development through an ongoing project, highlighting key shifts in both mindset and practice.