Pennsylvania State University

I started learning about Research Administration in January of 2020 when I accepted a position as an Administrative Support Coordinator at a research center at Penn State. I managed all of the budgets for the Center, including all grant budgets. I also helped with the research fieldwork at the Center. In 2023 I took a research administration course at Penn State and became interested in becoming a research administrator. I started my current position as a research administrator in February 2023.

I started in the department level, working post award in two different departments and then I went to the Central Office – Controller’s office, still doing post award. I stayed there for over 10 years and then I moved over to the pre-award side. It has been interesting to see the differences and also see how it all comes together and how important it is to work together for a common goal.

I was an adult returning to school when I stumbled upon the world of Research Admin.

I attended a career fair looking for an internship and spoke to a representative of PSU about it. I had never even knew it was a career choice that existed, and it sounded intriguing.

I applied for the internship a little more than 4 years ago, joined the team permanently within two months, and never looked back.

I am looking forward to a long and rewarding career in Research Administration.

I love working with numbers! After my son left for college, I returned to the workforce full time. Friends kept telling me to apply for work at Penn State. I started in the Registrar’s Office, processing transcripts. Then I received a department position handling seminars and associated travel expenses. I moved up into a full financial position. Learning about research was part and parcel with learning about expenditures. I transitioned into Research Administration, pre and post. For a change of pace, I am now doing pre-award through a central office, instead of at the department level.

Like many in research administration, I stumbled into this field by accident. However, my motivation for becoming a research administrator was driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact and contribute to the world of science, albeit indirectly, by supporting the dedicated scientists who tirelessly work to make a difference. My passion for what I do runs deep, and it’s why I am fully immersed in research administration, thinking, living, teaching, and even dreaming about it.

I started in research administration after 11 years of working in funds management. I worked my way up to an Accountant position and felt burned out. I’ve strived to be involved in University leadership, but I knew I needed grants management and research administration experience to achieve my career goals. I transitioned into a research administrator position in December 2022 and it has been an amazing journey! I’ve learned a lot, and there is still so much for me to learn!

I never knew what research administration was until I was approached to apply for an open position. I wasn’t sure I was qualified, but I took a leap of faith. Here I am a year later, and love what I do. I wish I would have found this profession years ago. Now, I am here to stay, that is for sure.

I began my career at UT Austin in the Parking department actually. I was there for a year when a member of our OSP office can to my parking garage window with a question about a ticket, and we got to talking about their department since it was in a different part of campus. They learned about my undergraduate background and encouraged me to apply to an administrative position in their department (NOA processor) so I did and was given the opportunity to start my career. I was in that department in post-award and then moved to a pre-award/post-award hybrid in the UT Austin College of Education Dean’s Office. I learned everything pre-award remotely due to Covid, and then when I moved to PA I joined PSU’s College of Medicine.