Ever wonder how you become a research administrator? Many people don’t even know the field exists! We talked to four Cayuse staffers who have worked in the field about how their careers in research administration began. Here are their stories:
“I graduated from San Francisco State University with my BA in Art Education, with a paint brush in one hand and an application to Peet’s Coffee in the other. I wasn’t interested in an office job. All I knew was that as long as I had food, clothing, shelter, some oil paints and canvas, I was happy.
“Fast-forward a few years later: I was a stay-at-home mom and needed to support my family. A good friend helped me get a job as an administrative assistant at Stanford University’s Office of Sponsored Research, where I learned about what RA does and why the role exists. I had never heard of research administration before this!
“After working at Stanford for a while, I got a job at University of California at San Francisco as a Proposal Analyst in the Contracts and Grants office, reviewing and submitting proposals. From there, I became a Pre-Award Analyst in the Department of Neurology and learned how to build proposals and work with PIs. A few years later, UCSF decentralized pre-award operations and created Research Management Services, which combined the departmental pre-award positions with central office positions. Thus, I became a Research Services Coordinator for the Department of Neurology. I have deep respect and admiration for RAs and their dedication. The human beings who strive to make their institutions better in order to serve other human beings to make them better is what it’s all about. I am proud to be a part of that.”
Carrie Yakura
Customer Success Manager
“I have been in love with research since I taught Montessori school students the LOGO computer language for my first research project over 26 years ago. I have been involved with research throughout my career and have always been interested in how humans interacted with computer systems.
“During graduate school, I worked as a research psychologist at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory and dreamed of training the astronauts. After graduate school, I relocated to Chicago and started working at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a RA. Over the last 17 years, I have gained a broad knowledge of the field through my work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and the University of the Sciences.”
Anita Mills
Sales Enablement Consultant
“I never set out to be a RA and never even knew it was a career until I fell into it.
“I worked as a university parking attendant in college and graduated with a degree in psychology with an emphasis in chemical addictions. I worked as an addictions counselor for juvenile offenders for several years before having my son and realizing that I would no longer be an effective counselor now that I was a mom. I went back to the university parking office and quickly realized that I needed to use my brain or I would go crazy.
“The Office of Sponsored Programs was hiring, and I thought: ‘How hard can filling out forms be?’ It was a decent-paying job for the best employer in the area I lived in, so I decided to interview. I had no idea what I was in for! I also had no idea how much I could love work like this – I was helping people do amazing things! Now, I get to do the same thing in a slightly different capacity – I help brilliant people do amazing things so that other brilliant people can do amazing things.”
Kelly Morgan
Pre-Award Product Manager
“I enjoy establishing and improving business processes. I had previous experience as a Senior Case Administrator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), in which I also learned the importance of respecting and following proper policies and guidelines. After AAA relocated and I personally moved elsewhere, I was on the lookout for my next career opportunity.
“I had to decide between two administrative job offers: one at a private wealth management company, and the other in academia. I chose the latter, because it sounded more interesting. In 2002, I was new to the world of RA and began working for a Harvard Medical School professor. I still remember my supervisor Rachel showing me how to correctly put together a phonebook-thick, printed (!) NIH grant to FedEx it out on time.
“It was stressful, but I enjoyed coordinating the various aspects of producing the grant. It’s a collaborative effort. Over the years, I’ve worked with a wide variety of researchers, faculty, administrators, assistants, accounting/contracts, and grants staff at institutions from all over the world. I’ve derived great satisfaction from playing a part in grants being submitted and awarded.”
Matty Gilreath
Customer Success Manager
