Introducing… Maja Maricevic

What’s your name?

Maja Maricevic

What’s your background?

I have a complex background across many different sectors with many twists and turns, but my predominant background is university and science policy. I have worked in universities, government and as a professional consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, undertaking diverse projects such as evaluating the entire research portfolios for research funding organisations, writing government policy documents, helping universities deal with difficult financial issues and developing London’s first higher education policy.

My job at the British Library as Head of Higher Education and Science is to help the Library determine how different higher education and science developments affect the Library’s everyday work and future strategy. Among many other things, this included the work that led to the British Library collaborating with and hosting the Alan Turing Institute. I wrote the first proposal for this to happen in March 2014, which was followed by negotiations, legal work and planning at breakneck speed to enable the Institute to recruit staff and become operational during 2015.

Since being at the British Library, I have been able to revive my own research. I am one of the increasing number of people that research the research process itself. In my case that means the research process in heritage organisations – how it works, how it has developed over time, its future and key enabling policies as well as barriers. This also means looking at different aspects of digital research and infrastructures and policies that underpin them.

I am a part-time PhD student at UCL, which is something I wanted to do ever since my early academic career was disrupted by war at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is where I am from.

What’s your role on the project?

My role is to help the project outcomes impact and change the British Library’s ways of working. I also bring my policy background to help the project achieve the broadest possible policy impact.

What excites you about the project?

Its immense potential to be a giant step forward in advancing our understanding and practice of research involving large scale digital content and interdisciplinary methods enabled by data science.

What challenges do you see ahead?

Amongst many challenges ahead, I am most concerned that we build a strong sense of team and shared objectives, as well as an open culture that is not afraid of trying, failing and trying again, which is the only way to sort out all other challenges.

What’s the last (non-work) book you read, exhibition or performance you saw?

I love the experimental end of the London Film Festival, which has just recently finished, with my favourite this year being a film by Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian – I am (not) a Monster: The Impossible Pursuit of the Origins of Knowledge – it has everything, even the Internet Archive features (warning: all my friends refuse to accompany me to my film choices).

Finally, where can people find out more about you and your work?

On twitter and Instagram @MajaMaricevic

More about my PhD on the UCL website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/people/research-students/maja-maricevic

Also, in some unexpected places, such as the Vogue, as I am also very fond of my work with fashion industry and students: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-menswear/charles-jeffrey-loverboy