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Your Questions Answered | What Would I Tell a Brand-New RA?

Each month, the Catalyst will feature a question posed to our panel of SRAI Distinguished Faculty members to get their take on all sorts of topics encompassing research administration. Do you have a research administration question for our experts? Send your questions to catalyst@srainternational.org!

This month, we asked our experts: What would I tell a brand-new Research Administrator starting in the field today?

Jose G. Alcaine, Director of Research Services/Affiliate Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University, SRAI Distinguished Faculty.

• Give yourself grace to settle into the profession - even Einstein took time to learn some stuff and even had some failures along the way! There are many different facets you can explore in research administration, and it can provide you with a fulfilling career. What you are doing is important for knowledge creation and the betterment of society. Be sure to pause sometime/often to reflect on that and get to know the research, projects and people you work with. Be sure to have agency, ask questions, get involved, volunteer for things, learn some things, network, go to conferences and events...and as many things in life, it is a marathon not a sprint, so try to have fun and enjoy the ride! All aboard!

Tonya Edvalson, Operations Manager, University of Utah Health, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

• Being a research administrator is an incredible career opportunity. There are many things I wish I had understood when I began the journey.

  Most of us say that we fell into the career and did not have much preparation going into it. I see that now as a great chance for growth. Take the chances! I have learned so much throughout my more than 25 years including human subjects protection, compliance, clinical research billing, operations, and more.

  I now believe in the term latticing rather than a ladder in this profession. I do not necessarily need to be climbing ladders. There is so much to learn that gives me purpose across the wide spectrum of research administration.

  We are given the opportunity to work with some accomplished researchers out there. I would not let that intimidate me again, as I did early in my career. Be brave. Be courageous. Our researchers count on our expertise. Never minimize that by saying "I am just a ____." Own it. Research teams and your institutions need you.

Sandra Nordahl, Director, Sponsored Research Contracting and Compliance, San Diego State University Research Foundation, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

• Be patient with yourself. There are so many facets to our business and the regulations and processes are continually evolving. There are numerous specialty fields and also the ability to be a generalist. Pick a path, but do not be hesitant about changing course. I have been fortunate to work in multiple areas of research administration including locating funding for PIs/PDs, traditional pre-award activities of budgeting and proposal submission, post-award administration, intellectual property, and specialty areas of managing a specific award. The profession has so much to offer and we surely do not make widgets. Embrace change and learning, because it happens daily. We are fortunate to be able to help people do fabulous, life-changing activities.

Domenica G. Pappas, CRA, Associate Vice Provost for Research, Office of Research, Illinois Tech, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

• Your work is important for your institution and your faculty member. Networking is essential; you will find excellent resources and find a community willing to help. It is okay to say I do not know” or I do not understand but I will find out/I will learn.
• Maintain a work/life balance.

Susan Wyatt Sedwick, Senior Consulting Specialist, Attain Partners, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

• This is a very open and sharing community of professionals who are always willing to share their perspectives and serve as mentors. 

Rebecca Claycamp, Independent Consultant in Research Administration, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

• I find that the sheer volume of information, moving parts and change in research administration seriously intimidates new research administrators, making them afraid of the mistakes they might make. I can promise them they will make mistakes. I tell them when they make a mistake, to ask themselves three questions: Did anybody die? Was any property destroyed? Can you fix it? If the answers are no, no, and yes, learn from your mistake (owning up to it and perhaps discussing options with a more senior staffer) and move on. Staff told me this speech eliminated unnecessary anxiety and helped them grow faster. 
• Another useful thing to share with brand-new research administrators is that it is easy in research administration to get into an us-them mentality, whether it is with the researchers or government agency staff. To avoid this trap and the agitation it creates, remember the story of the blind men and the elephant...it is all about perspective. When you approach something from the other person's perspective you are more likely to find the middle ground that promotes a win-win situation and saves huge amounts of stomach lining.

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