Open science is fueled by people like you
pyOpenSci runs on volunteer energy. Whether you want to review a Python package, help maintain our tools, or translate resources for your community — there’s a role that fits your time and skills.
Volunteers are the core of everything we do
Every package that earns a pyOpenSci badge has been evaluated by a volunteer reviewer. Every guide a researcher relies on has been written, edited, or translated by a community member. Every sprint has been organized by someone who believed open science was worth their time.
When you volunteer with pyOpenSci, your work flows directly into the infrastructure the scientific Python ecosystem depends on — and into a community of people doing the same.
Support software review
Help scientists build better, more maintainable software by volunteering in our peer review program.
Become a reviewer
AsyncAs a reviewer, you’ll either volunteer when a package request is posted in our Slack or be invited based on your domain expertise or packaging experience. Newer reviewers often focus on domain application and package usability, while experienced reviewers may dig deeper into packaging best practices. Most reviewers complete one or two reviews per year, with each review taking roughly 3–10 hours depending on the package’s complexity. Reviewers also receive mentorship from more experienced reviewers to help them through the process.
Become an editor
AsyncAs an editor, you’ll lead and guide the review process end-to-end — finding and onboarding reviewers who match the package’s domain, keeping the review on track, and ensuring reviewers and maintainers meet deadlines. Editors typically lead 2–4 reviews per year, with each active review requiring roughly 1–3 hours per week and quieter periods in between. It’s a great opportunity to grow project management skills while supporting open science.
Peer review triage
AsyncAs a triage team member, you’ll help keep pyOpenSci’s review data accurate and complete — checking that GitHub issues have the right metadata, filling in missing fields like acceptance dates and JOSS DOIs, and ensuring our data pipelines stay healthy. This work directly supports the accuracy of our package listings and what appears on partner sites like the Astropy website. It’s a flexible, self-paced role requiring roughly 1–4 hours per month and a great entry point if you want editorial experience without a heavy time commitment.
Join our editor-in-chief team
Team roleAs an Editor-in-Chief (EiC), you’ll be part of a rotating team of 2–4 people who lead the editorial process. EiCs welcome new package submissions on GitHub, evaluate whether a package falls within pyOpenSci’s scope, and assign editors to move accepted submissions forward. You’ll also field pre-submission inquiries from authors exploring whether their package is a good fit before committing to a full review. This hands-on leadership role sits at the heart of how pyOpenSci maintains quality and community standards, typically requiring 2–4 hours per week depending on submission volume.
Become a peer review lead
StipendAs peer review lead, you’ll coordinate the entire peer review program — onboarding new editors, working with the Executive Director to update policies, streamline processes, and ensure reviews move forward consistently and efficiently. This leadership role sits at the center of how pyOpenSci’s review program runs, typically requiring a few hours per week. Some project management experience is helpful, and the role comes with a stipend every six months in recognition of the commitment it requires.
Translation
Help break down language barriers
Our community is global. Our resources should be too. Translating our education resources to other languages helps make our free online learning content accessible to everyone, everywhere. As a translation volunteer, you will make pyOpenSci’s guides and tutorials accessible to scientists who don’t work primarily in English. Translation efforts for our Python Packaging Guide are in progress. Add a new language or help build out an existing translation. Or help us build infrastructure to add translation support to our website.
Translation lead
CoordinationOwn a language track — coordinate contributors, manage review cycles, and keep translations consistent with source updates.
Translation contributor
AsyncTranslate or review content for a language you know well. Contribute as much or as little as your schedule allows.
Maintainer team
Help build and maintain our infrastructure
Our maintainer team keeps the website, guides, and tooling running. Roles follow a triage → merge → issue ownership progression. Read the contributor handbook →
Infrastructure maintainer
OngoingStart with triage — labeling issues and reviewing pull requests — then grow into CI, deployments, and codebase ownership as you get comfortable. All skill levels welcome.
Website contributor
AsyncHelp keep pyOpenSci.org welcoming and useful — write and edit content, improve accessibility, refine our Hugo theme, and polish page layouts.
Your impact
Where your work goes
Volunteer contributions flow directly into resources scientists across the ecosystem rely on every day.