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5th Annual Symposium for Research Administrators
September 29th, 2020 - Virtual Event
Page Updated: Friday, April 19, 2024 2:50:17 PM CDT
Presenters
- Mike Bingham, Reliance Facilitator Health Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Mike is a member of RELIANT (Reliance and Navigation Team) within the Health Sciences IRBs. He has over 10 years IRB experience, including building a reliance process at UW and assisting with nationwide grant initiatives to address single IRB policies from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP). - Becky Bound, Pre-Award Research Administrator, Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center
Becky is the Pre-Award Research Administrator in the UW Carbone Cancer Center, where she works with PIs to prepare and submit proposals to multiple funding agencies (including NIH), as well as supporting other research administration activities within the UWCCC. She began working in Research Administration as an NIH post-award accountant at Indiana University in 2001 and has been at UW-Madison working in Pre-Award Research Administration since 2004. Prior to joining UWCCC, she was also fortunate to work with and learn from research administration colleagues across campus including positions in the CALS Research Division, Office of the VCRGE, and the Genome Center. - Graig Brooks, Reimbursement Program Manager, Accounting Service, Division of Business Services
Graig is the Expense Reimbursement Program Manager. As part of the Travel and Cards team, I work closely with campus and UW-System leaders to develop travel and reimbursement policies. I have a background in public accounting and spent six years in CALS where my duties included grants management. I am responsible for travel and reimbursement training as well as communicating travel and reimbursement updates to campus. - Stephanie Budge, Department of Counseling Psychology
Stephanie (pronouns: she/her/hers) focuses her research and advocacy efforts on transgender and gender diverse people. She is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at UW-Madison and the director of the Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) program in the UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity, located in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Her research focuses on emotional and coping processes for transgender youth and adults, as well as the effectiveness of medical and psychotherapeutic treatments for transgender clients. She provides clinical trainings nationally and internationally related to LGBTQ issues, focusing on practitioners’ self-efficacy, knowledge, awareness, and skills. At UW, she promotes transgender advocacy on campus by providing workshops to students, faculty, and staff related to navigating gender identity within a university environment. As a licensed psychologist, she also provides clinical services to transgender youth and adults. Stephanie was recently named a 2030 Impact Faculty Fellow in the School of Education to continue community engaged research with LGBTQ populations. - Tina Chorlton, Center Administrator, IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center
Tina has worked at UW-Madison in a variety of roles, including Human Resources Manager in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), and the past 4 ½ years as the Center Administrator for the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC). She has enjoyed learning more about the research side of the University in her current position, and appreciates her knowledgeable, supportive colleagues all over campus who are always willing to assist with the many unique needs of a research operation that has a station and employees at the South Pole. Tina has a M.S. and J.D. from UW-Madison, and a B.A. from the University of Michigan. - April Cook, Gift Management Accountant, Division of Business Services
April joined Accounting Services in the Division of Business Services in 2017 as a senior accountant in the area of gift management. Her role includes overseeing and recording all incoming gifts on fund 233, including gift monies that are requested and deposited from the UW Foundation. She also collects and reports information related to any noncash donations (gifts in kind) UW-Madison receives. Prior to joining UW, April worked in income tax and treasury roles in both public accounting and private industry. - Aaron Crandall, Department Research Manager, Department of Population Health
Aaron is the Department Research Manager for Population Health Sciences in the School of Medicine and Public Health. Prior to his current role, Aaron had been in Research and Sponsored Programs, in pre-award, so combined has over sixteen years of experience in research administration. His experience is mostly in pre-award, including but not limited to grant applications, budgeting, compliance issues, contract negotiations, and gift management. In his current position, he has taken on more post-award duties, and is now more active in managing projects from start to finish. - Jenny Dahlberg, Senior Research Administrator, School of Veterinary Medicine
Jenny is a Senior Research Administrative Program Specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s (SVM) Dean’s office with over 18 years of experience in NIH training grant (T32) administration. She currently oversees preaward administration within the SVM, and acts as the primary administrator for all NIH T32s, Ks and F awards within the school. Jenny has provided training grant guidance to faculty directors and administrators on campus, as well as presented at regional and National meetings of National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) meetings. She has assisted faculty with 16 competitive training grant submissions, starting in 2001 while pursuing her B.S. in Natural Sciences from UW-Madison, followed by a M.S. from the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at UW-Madison. - Kris DeArmond, Advanced Accountant, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Kris is an Advanced Accountant on the Miscellaneous Federal Post Award team in Research & Sponsored Programs. She has been a part of the team since 2009, with a brief period on the DHHS/NIH team as well as time spent assisting the NSF/DOE team. Throw in a few Non-Federal awards and she has worked with a wide variety of sponsored projects. To make things more exciting, in 2012-13, she thought it would be interesting to learn more about cost share, so she joined the RSP Cost Share Working Group. Later, she took on the role of Cost Share Lead and continues that role today in conjunction with Post Award Accountant duties. - Jesse Decker, Director for Safety, College of Engineering
As Director for Safety in the College of Engineering, Jesse is responsible for building a culture of safety within the College. He serves as the College liaison with the UW Environmental Health and Safety Office and provides UW Risk Management with analysis of workers compensation injuries within the College. Jesse serves as the co-leader of the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) Embedded Safety Professionals Committee. Decker has a B.S in Molecular Biology from UW-Parkside and M.S. in Occupational & Environmental Safety from Columbia Southern University and has over 20 years of experience in industrial and academic research safety. - Irina Diaz, Pre-Award Specialist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Irina is a Pre-Award Research Administrator in the School of Education, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). She joined UW-Madison in 2008, and over the past 12 years, has had a variety of pre and post-award responsibilities. Irina has experience working with various funding agencies such as NIH, NSF, ED, the Spencer Foundation, and many others. In her current role, Irina is responsible for advising and supporting pre-award activities and managing outgoing subawards. Irina holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Edgewood College and is currently working on a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison. - Sarah Esmond, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Sarah has been in UW research administration for more than two decades, focused on clinical and translational science and health equity research via national, state, and local sponsors and in partnership with members of diverse communities across the State of Wisconsin and the nation. Prior to serving as a Center Director, she has been a UW student hourly, an LTE, a classified/university employee, and an academic staff. She currently serves as the administrative director for the UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity, established in 2002 in the School of Medicine and Public Health. Sarah has overseen two NIH Center of Excellence awards to UW CCHE via the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and currently lends leadership to community engagement and operations for the All of Us Wisconsin @ UW program. - Dorothy Farrar Edwards, PhD, Department of Kinesiology
Dorothy is the faculty director of the UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity, and a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and Professor of Kinesiology and Medicine. Her multidisciplinary research addresses the effects of aging on functional independence and quality of life. The central goal of her research is to contribute to the understanding of quality of life and well-being in older adults by examining the impact of cognitive and physical impairment on performance of complex activities of everyday life. Her research explores questions of functional performance, caregiver burden, and treatment outcomes in a variety of populations ranging from normal aging to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. She is particularly interested in the aging process in African Americans. She is Co-PI for the All of Us Wisconsin research program. - Eve Fine, Senior Scientist, Director of Curriculum Development & Implementation, WISELI
Eve implements and conducts research on interventions and educational modules designed to increase the diversity of faculty and leaders in academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). She received her PhD from the History of Science Department at UW–Madison. She relies on her historical background and training to identify and analyze research from a broad array of disciplines that pertains to contemporary women and members of groups underrepresented in STEMM, to participate in WISELI’s ongoing research projects, and to disseminate current research to academic communities. She is responsible for developing and delivering WISELI’s workshops, including Searching for Excellence & Diversity: A Workshop for Search Committees; Assessing and Enhancing Department Climate: A Workshop for Department Chairs; and Breaking the Bias Habit. In addition to collaborating with her colleagues to write WISELI’s educational booklets and brochures, including Searching for Excellence & Diversity: A Guide for Search Committees, National Edition, (2012), she has authored several articles and a book chapter on the history of women physicians, and is co-author of several articles on increasing the representation of women in STEMM and on fostering diversity in academia. - Sandy Fowler, Assistant Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Sandy started her career with the University in 1997 at University Housing as a Program Assistant training students how to use the point of sale system and the basics of cash handling. In 1999 she moved to the Department of Forest Ecology and Management assisting with almost all aspects of an academic and research department. The time spent in the department prepped her for a move to the CALS Research Division in 2006. This role sparked her curiosity about and to learn more about sponsored project management and how grants fit overall into the UW financial scene. In 2010, her position was moved to Business Services to facilitate sponsored project reviews into the spending and purchase processes. In January 2019, Sandy became an Assistant Dean and now leads a great team of accountants who provide sponsored project (post award), travel, payment, and purchasing, and policy guidance to CALS departmental staff and faculty. Her and her team are the liaisons between central campus areas and departments. They play a large part in helping faculty and staff understand and interpret federal, state, and UW policies and procedures that are intertwined into a business process. - Lyman Fuson, Assistant Director of Purchasing Services in the Division of Business Services
Lyman is the Assistant Director of UW Madison’s Purchasing Services. His team is in charge of contracts for a wide variety of goods and services including Information Technology. Lyman has been involved in public sector purchasing for the State of Wisconsin for twenty years. He started at the Department of Administration before moving to the Department of Transportation where he became Section Chief of Purchasing. Before taking on the leadership role, he was a Senior Purchasing Agent specializing in IT software, hardware, and services. He came to UW Madison in 2018. - Dr. Claudio Gratton, Professor, Department of Entomology
Dr. Gratton has been on the faculty in the Entomology department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison since 2003. His research group works broadly on the landscape ecology of arthropod food webs in agricultural landscapes. Their research has examined the role of unmanaged “non-crop” lands in the agricultural matrix and their effects on the abundance and diversity of beneficial insects including predators and pollinators and their effect on the provisioning of ecosystem services in agricultural habitats. Recent work in bioenergy landscapes has been as part of the sustainability team of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC). Research in the lab looking at the linkages between ecosystems also extends also to examining the relationships between lakes and streams and the adjacent terrestrial landscapes and the role of aquatic insects in creating those linkages. Recently, he has been part of bee and butterfly conservation efforts in the state. Dr. Gratton received his BS in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1991) and his PhD in Entomology from the University of California – Berkeley (1997). At UW he teaches courses in Basic and Applied Insect Ecology, Agroecology, Field Ecology, and Multivariate Methods in Ecological research. He serves as Subject Editor of Ecological Applications and Basic and Applied Ecology. He is a recipient of the Vilas Research Fellows award (2017), and is a Stanford-Woods Institute Aldo Leopold Leadership Program Fellow (2013). - Bob Gratzl, Assistant Director of Contracts, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Bob is the Assistant Director of Contracts at RSP. He joined the University in 2011 as a Grant and Contract Specialist for the RSP Contracts Team. He and his staff on the RSP Contracts Team negotiate and execute sponsored research agreements with sponsors, including federal, non-profit, for-profit, and academic partners. As part of RSP, he and his staff are also responsible for the new issuance of subawards to UW’s partners. Bob has presented at both regional and national meetings on a wide range of research topics. Bob has a B.S. in History and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a J.D. from Marquette University Law School. - Dr. Russ Groves, Department Chair, Department of Entomology
Dr. Groves is Professor in the Department of Entomology, and is titled as an Extension Specialist through the Division of Extension. In my capacity as a Specialist, my responsibilities include the development, implementation, and delivery of a research-based, extension program to support integrated pest management of insect and mite pests affecting organic, fresh-market and processing vegetable production in Wisconsin. Our research group primarily focuses on applied insect ecology, with an emphasis on insect vector-borne disease epidemiology, insect dispersal and movement, and insecticide resistance management. Dr. Groves received his BS in Forestry from Iowa State University and his PhD from North Carolina State University. Prior to has appointment here at the UW-Madison (2006), Russ was a USDA ARS Research Entomologist in central California (2003-2006) focusing on the ecology and management of Pierce’s Disease of grapes and almonds. He was faculty co-director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems on campus (2009-2013), and until recently was co-director for the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program (2016-2019). He is currently Department Chair in the Department of Entomology. More information about our research and extension programs can be found here: https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/ - Jenny Hackel, Post-Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Jenny is the Post Award Manager for the NSF/DOE team in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. She is a detail-oriented problem solver with nearly 18 years of UW-Madison research administration experience. Prior to joining RSP, her past roles include serving as a research administrator and Assistant Director for Administration at the Space Science and Engineering Center. Her resulting experience includes full life cycle of research administration for a wide variety of sponsors as well a broad understanding of how sponsored programs interact with other areas of administration such as purchasing, property, and human resources. Jenny has participated in campus-level research administration working groups and review committees and presented at a previous Research Administration Symposium. Jenny has a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. - Kristin Harmon, Intellectual Property Disclosure Specialist, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
Kristin currently works as an Intellectual Property (IP) Disclosure Specialist in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), working cooperatively with University of Wisconsin faculty and staff, as well as the schools and colleges and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to evaluate intellectual property developed at UW for university obligations based on agreements with outside entities. She began her career in non-profit grant-writing before working in central post-award administration at Indiana University, and came to UW-Madison in 2004 as a Grants & Contracts Specialist at RSP. She spent eight years as grant manager at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, taking responsibility for all aspects of pre-award and non-financial post-award research administration. Kristin also works closely with OVCR leadership and Legal Affairs to interpret intellectual property regulations, and design and implement compliance processes. She is a strong believer in communication and collaboration and is actively involved in outreach and mentorship activities. Kristin holds a B.A. in History and Russian Studies from Colorado College and a Master of Arts in Russian History from Indiana University. - Sheila Hayden, Senior Research Administrators, College of Letters and Sciences
Kristin currently works as an Intellectual Property (IP) Disclosure Specialist in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), working cooperatively with University of Wisconsin faculty and staff, as well as the schools and colleges and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to evaluate intellectual property developed at UW for university obligations based on agreements with outside entities. She began her career in non-profit grant-writing before working in central post-award administration at Indiana University, and came to UW-Madison in 2004 as a Grants & Contracts Specialist at RSP. She spent eight years as grant manager at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, taking responsibility for all aspects of pre-award and non-financial post-award research administration. Kristin also works closely with OVCR leadership and Legal Affairs to interpret intellectual property regulations, and design and implement compliance processes. She is a strong believer in communication and collaboration and is actively involved in outreach and mentorship activities. Kristin holds a B.A. in History and Russian Studies from Colorado College and a Master of Arts in Russian History from Indiana University. - Angie Johnson, Post-Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Angie is the manager of the Non-Federal team in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. She joined UW-Madison in 2009 as an accountant on the NonFederal team. The team is responsible for fund 133 post-award management. In addition, she oversees the student intern program within RSP, provides training for new employees and campus, has served on several process improvement committees, and oversees the award closeout process and aspects of the subaward process. Prior to joining UW-Madison, Angie worked for a printer company for 10 years in Accounts Receivable and has a B.A. in Accounting and Business from Lakeland University. - Dorothy Johnson, Post Award Manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Dorothy is the Manager of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) team in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Prior to joining the University in May 2018, she gained extensive university research administration experience through her positions at Macalester College, Bucknell University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her numerous certifications include Certified Research Administrator, Certified Financial Research Administrator, and Certified Public Accountant. Dorothy has a Master of Science in Research Administration from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She has presented at both regional and national meetings on a wide range of research topics. - Crystal Jones, Research Administration Function Lead, Administrative Transformation Program
Crystal started at UW-Madison in 2009 as an accountant in RSP managing part of the DHHS portfolio in addition to supervising of interns, training, and other projects. She was also part of the Cost Studies team in RSP that is responsible for developing the F&A and fringe benefit rates. Currently, she is the Research Administration Functional Lead for the Administrative Transformation Program. She holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and MBA from the Lakeland University. - Tamie Klumpyan, Program Manager, Office of Human Resources, Learning and Talent Development
Tamie (she, her) serves as Program Manager for Building Inclusion at UW in the Office of Learning and Talent Development. She is an educator, facilitator, consultant, and collaborator whose passion is to hold intentional learning space around, and in the context of, equity, inclusion, and diversity capacity building. Tamie has spent the majority of her career in higher education, with deep roots in Student Affairs, leadership development, and social change work; most recently transitioning to roles within organization development and employee learning. She brings a passion for creating engaging, inclusive, and diverse environments where individuals are challenged and supported to learn, grow, and realize their fullest potential. - Tammy Kuhn Martin, Assistant Dean, College of Engineering
Tammy is the Assistant Dean for Research Administration in the College of Engineering. Tammy got her start in Research Administration in 2001 when she took a student hourly position as an Accountant Intern at Research & Sponsored Programs. She has a wealth of experience and expertise across all aspects of research administration spanning full-life-cycle grants, contract management and research compliance. She serves on a number of campus committees, is a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and has presented at their regional meetings. Tammy has a B.S. in Human Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. - Sarah Marcotte, Senior Research Administrator, School of Human Ecology
Sarah is a Senior Administrative Program Specialist in the School of Human Ecology. She has nearly 20 years of experience in clinical research and research administration at UW-Madison, including positions at SMPH, CALS, and currently SoHE. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys trail running, playing soccer and hockey, and playing guitar and harmonica. - Kurt McMillen, Research Administration Strategy Lead, Administrative Transformation Project
Kurt is currently the Research Administration Strategy Lead with the Administrative Transformation Program (ATP). He is responsible for the strategic leadership and oversight of the research administration workstream of the ATP program which includes, among other things, the Research Administration Modernization Project (RAMP). He joined the University in 2010 as a Grant and Contracts Specialist in RSP, and prior to joining ATP, Kurt was the Assistant Director for Grants and Proposals. Kurt is a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and has presented nationally on a wide range of topics. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. - Debbie Meltzer, Assistant Dean, School of Medicine and Public Health
Debbie believes the magic of Research Administration happens when you have good people, who are well led, well trained, rewarded, and have challenging roles. Debbie graduated from the University of Wisconsin and went on to do research in the Cancer Center prior to becoming Assistant Dean. She stays current with grant policies/regulations as a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and campus committees, using that information to inform Research Administrators in 17 Clinical Departments, 10 Basic Science Departments, and 23 Institutes and Centers. - Kim Moreland, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Kim is on the Board of Directors of the Federal Demonstration Partnership and a former Board member of the Council on Governmental Relations. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Business and Operations for the director of the National Science Foundation. She is also a lecturer for Johns Hopkins University in the Master’s degree program in Research Administration. Kim is a recipient of NCURA’s national Award for Distinguished Service in Research Administration and the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Administration. She is a former president of NCURA and an NCURA Distinguished Educator. - Mallory Musolf, Associate Director, Office of Training Grant Support
Mallory is the Associate Director for the Office of Training Grant Support in the School of Medicine and Public Health. She currently serves training grant program directors and administrators across campus, providing expertise and resources to enable effective training grant administration, from grant preparation through award closeout. Mallory has 8 years previous experience working with NIH Training Grants and individual pre-doctoral fellowships (HHMI, NIH and NSF). She has co-presented on NIH T32 and F awards on campus and at national and regional National Council of University Research Administrators meetings. Mallory holds a B.A. and M.A. in Modern European and Global History from Marquette University. - Betsy Nugent, MSPH, CCRP, Chief Clinical Research Officer UW Health/SMPH
For the past 30 years, Betsy has worked in clinical research in everything from drug discovery to epidemiology to all phases of clinical trials. For the past 15 years, she has focused on developing innovative methods to improve the efficiency and adaptability of clinical research operations. She has worked on projects related to the worldwide opioid crisis for Health Canada, FDA, and the World Health Organization. As a Clinical Research Leader at Kaiser Permanente she worked to build a standards-based program for the conduct of clinical trials. She has testified before the legislature on issues related to clinical trials accessibility and patient advocacy. Currently Ms. Nugent is the Chief Clinical Research Officer at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health where she is engaged in culture change, clinical integration and building a standards-based clinical trials program. Ms. Nugent is a Certified Clinical Research Professional. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Colorado State University and a Master’s of Science in Public Health with a focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics from University of Colorado. - Christine Pientok, Research Administrator, Department of Pediatrics
Christine is a Research Administrator for the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine & Public Health. In 2014, Christine joined Pediatrics where she started in Human Resources, then worked as an Interim Continuing Education Coordinator and then in 2015 shifted to a Research Administrator. Along with other departmental financial tasks, Christine assists several investigators in managing their grant financial portfolios as well as their proposal submissions (full life cycle management). Christine has a BBA from the Wisconsin School of Business. In her free time, she personal trains clients and enjoys riding her bike around southern WI! - Dr. Christine Pribbenow, Senior Scientist, Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Christine M. Pribbenow, PhD is a Senior Scientist and PI in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). She served as the original evaluator for the Fair Play project (2010-2014; NIH-R25GM08352, PI: M. Carnes). Seeing the value in this game to teach about bias in academic settings, she proposed and received an IPERT grant to disseminate it to STEM faculty, along with complementary curriculum and other resources (2015-2020; NIH-R25GM11402, PI: C. Pribbenow). In August 2020, she received a five year renewal of this grant titled, Fair Play: Bias Literacy and Resiliency Training to Empower the Future Biomedical Workforce (2020-2025; NIH-R25GM11402, PI: C. Pribbenow), which is geared towards graduate students and future faculty. As an educational researcher and program evaluator, she studies interventions that enable and enhance the full participation of underrepresented gender, racial and ethnic minorities in K12 and higher education. - Larisa Roberts, Research Administrator, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Larisa has been a pre- and post-award Research Administrator for the College of Engineering’s BME Department since 2017 and has been at the UW since 2015. She got her start in Research Administration while working as the Departmental Administrator for the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, and was thrilled to find her niche when she returned to the US. She holds a Master of Studies (M.St.) from the University of Oxford in European Archaeology, and in her spare time enjoys riding her motorcycle, hiking, camping, and hanging out with her home-menagerie which consists of her husband, two stepsons, two rescue cats and one rescue greyhound. - Jennifer Rodis, Policy and Planning Analyst, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Jennifer is a Policy & Planning Analyst in UW-Madison’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. She works on policy analysis, interpretation, development, and implementation related to research administration. She has been active with NCURA, FDP, and COGR, and currently serves on the FDP Clearinghouse Steering Committee and the COGR Contracts and Grants Administration Committee. - Dr. Nasia Safdar
Dr. Nasia Safdar is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Disease within the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where she is also Vice Chair for Research. Dr. Safdar also serves as the Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital and as the Medical Director of Infection Control at UW Hospital and Clinics. Her research, which has been funded by VA, AHRQ, PCORI, and NIH, aims to reduce and prevent healthcare-associated infections by identifying, testing, and implementing novel interventions. Because of her work and research in this area, in 2017, Dr. Safdar received a President’s Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. In 2018, she was the recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. In 2019, she received the Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement that honors ISDA fellows age 45 or younger for overall outstanding achievements in infectious disease. Dr. Safdar’s research identifies and tests strategies to prevent and treat healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), such as Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) and MRSA. She is particularly interested in transmission of infections in patient-care environments, and is co-PI on a recently awarded grant investigating whether commonly used anti-virucidal agents can mitigate and prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus from COVID-19 patients to healthcare workers. - Suzanne Schlecht, Senior Accountant and Budget Analyst in the UW-Madison Budget Office
Suzanne is a Senior Accountant and a Budget Analyst in the Madison Budget Office. She has worked extensively to support Cores and other Fund 136 activities with rate setting, Uniform Guidance issues, and other financial matters. Suzanne is the co-founder and co-presenter of the “Cores First Financials” series offered by the Office of Campus Research Cores. Outside of work, Suzanne enjoys sewing and crafting, and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a yellow Lab puppy. - Dr. Dhanu Shanmuganayagam
Dr. Shanmuganayagam’s research focuses on the development and utilization of pigs as homologous models to close the translational gap in human disease research, taking advantage of the overwhelming similarities between pigs and humans in terms of genetics, anatomy, physiology, and immunology. He and his colleagues created the human-sized Wisconsin Miniature Swine (WMS™) breed that is unique to the university. The breed exhibits greater physiological similarity to humans, particularly in vascular biology and in modeling metabolic disorders and obesity. He currently leads genetic engineering of swine at UW. His team has created over fifteen genetic porcine models including several of pediatric genetic cancer-predisposition disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). In the context of NF1, his lab is studying the role of alternative splicing of the nf1 gene on the tissue-specific function of neurofibromin and whether gene therapy to modulate the regulation of this splicing can be used as a viable treatment strategy for children with the disorder. Dr. Shanmuganayagam is also currently leading the efforts to establish the University of Wisconsin Center for Biomedical Swine Research & Innovation (CBSRI) that will leverage the translatability of research in pig models and UW-Madison’s unique swine and biomedical research infrastructure, resources, and expertise to conduct innovative basic and translational research on human diseases. The central mission of CBSRI is to innovate and accelerate the discovery and development of clinically relevant therapies and technologies. The center will also serve to innovate graduate and medical training. As the only center of its kind in the United States, CBSRI will make UW-Madison a hub of translational research and industry-partnered biomedical innovation. - Catherine Shults, Research Administrator, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Catherine has been pre- and post-award Research Administrator for the Department of Mechanical Engineering for over 3 years. She has been with the Department for seven years and has a broad range of general financial and operational knowledge gained in her various roles. She participated in the RED peer mentoring program as a mentee and has presented in past Symposiums. - Christy Schulz, Senior Research Administrator, School of Medicine and Public Health
Christy is a Senior Research Administrator in the Dean’s office of the School of Medicine and Public Health. She joined the University in 2001 as a Grants and Contract Specialist in UW-Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP). Her focus is on pre-award research administration, including proposal review and submission, compliance review, and sharing information with SMPH researchers and research administrators. Christy enjoys the challenges of research administration and working with the talented individuals in SMPH. - Zach Smith, Research Administrator, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Zach is an experienced Research Administrator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He enjoys facilitating the whole award cycle from proposal preparation to closeout and all the quirky bumps along the ride. His primary interests have been in refining systems and processes, while fostering effective models of communication. He enjoys detail-oriented work and maintaining systems-wide perspectives. He currently serves as the Chair of the College of Engineering CASI team, is a member of UW’s Budget Committee and a RED Mentor. - Brandy Stoffel, IRB Facilitator, Health Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Brandy is a member of RELIANT (Reliance and Navigation Team) within the Health Sciences IRBs. She has over 10 years IRB experience, including building a reliance process at UW and assisting with nationwide grant initiatives to address single IRB policies from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP). - Mark Sweet, Director of Grants and Contracts, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Mark has been working in research administration for over 20 years and has presented at several regional and national NCURA conferences. In addition, he is co-chair of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) eRA Standing Committee. Prior to his time with RSP, Mark was a research specialist in the department of medicine. - John Varda, Assistant Director, College of Letters and Sciences
John is an experienced research administrator and long-time campus employee. He worked in the Astronomy department for many years, ending there as the department administrator. After a brief stint as department manager in Computer Sciences, he worked post-award grants and gifts for the L&S Dean’s office for six years, then spent three years at RSP as the manager of the Post-award team. Last October, he returned to L&S as Assistant Dean for Research Services for the college. He has been involved with RED since its inception and presents two workshops regularly. - Sharon Vetter, B.S., M.B.M, Program Manager, MedRAMP Office, School of Medicine and Public Health
Sharon is the Program Manager in SMPH’s MedRAMP office and Assistant Dean (Retired), UW School of Pharmacy. Sharon began her career in research administration in 1990 in the UW School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, where she supported faculty and staff to obtain grant funding for research, training, and outreach. She joined the School of Pharmacy in 2007 as the Assistant Dean for Research Administration supporting both pre- and post-award grant related activity. Prior to her retirement in August 2019, Sharon served on various campus committees, participated in Research Administrator training/mentoring, and shared her grant related expertise with colleagues across campus and beyond. - Bonniejean Zitske, Assistant Director of Research Financial Services, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Bonniejean (she/her/hers) has been an active member of the UW-Madison community for twenty years and a research administrator for nearly 15 years, working in a department and dean’s office before taking on a leadership role in the central office. She is a Past Chair of NCURA Region IV, which is a professional organization for research administrators. She is currently working on a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison.