Portia D. Hopkins holds a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. As the CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Research Associate in Data Curation for African American Studies at Rice University she lead efforts to curate digital collections focused on African American activism and cultural expression in Houston. Dr. Hopkins work as research associate focused on teaching workshops, conducting outreach about data curation to African American activist groups in Houston, assessing/creating an inventory of local data collections and developing best practices documents on curating data. During this time she developed the Neighborhood Storytelling Circle initiative. Dr. Hopkins joined Rice's Fondren Library Woodson Research Center as University Historian following her CLIR/DLF Postdoc assignment.

The position was a result of a successful joint grant application by CERCL, the Fondren Library, and Woodson Research Center to the Council on Library and Information Resources Postdoctoral Fellowship program, for which Rice became a host institution. This fellowship presents a unique opportunity to hone expertise in community archiving and data curation, as well as to work with local organizations and groups seeking to preserve their legacy and manage their own digital collections.

Dr. Hopkins worked on several research projects and gave presentations during her time as CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Research Associate

CLIR Fellows Panel @ Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

Spring 2021 Virtual Membership Meeting Opening Plenary

Slave Voyages.org Blog Post

Black in Brazoria County: Legacy, and Place-making since Reconstruction