Blogs

Note from the Editor | Stay Healthy, Stay Yourself, and Stay Connected! #InThisTogetherRA

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | Stay Healthy, Stay Yourself, and Stay Connected! #InThisTogetherRA In just a few months, Covid-19 has caused havoc by moving across the world, leaving many dead, economies stagnant, and the futures in limbo. As we shelter in place complying with stay at home mandates it’s unnerving that there is no visible end. Many of us are beginning to imagine how life will resume, even though the behavior of the virus left little certainty. As Katie Watkins wrote about in last month’s editorial, despite these circumstances we have quickly learned to adapt to a new normal of daily life and of virtual communication to stay in touch with loved ...
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View from the Top | The Power of Connection

By SRAI News
View from the Top | The Power of Connection Nearly six years ago, one of my Alabama colleagues invited me to an SRAI Chapter meeting. A lot has happened since that invitation, and now here we are. My involvement in SRA International began with a Chapter meeting invitation in the summer of 2014. The Alabama Chapter hosted a wonderful, quality program, and I was excited to learn more about the SRAI organization. While chatting with some of the Chapter leadership over lunch, they mentioned they had been wanting to bring Mississippi into the Chapter for quite some time. This conversation led to several years of building this relationship, and we were excited ...
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Out of the Office: Teleworking in Research Administration is Here to Stay

By SRAI News
Out of the Office: Teleworking in Research Administration is Here to Stay How will teleworking impact research administration at American colleges, universities and research organizations even as stay at home orders are lifted? By many indications, teleworking is here, and it is here to stay. Let’s embrace it as an established practice in the research administration space. Need an application submitted? No problem. Electronic research administration systems, both at the institutional level and at the sponsor level, can be remotely accessed and applications submitted from the comfort of the administrator’s home office. Sponsors large and small have implemented ...
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Modernizing Research - the Trends and the New Imperative

By SRAI News
Modernizing Research - the Trends and the New Imperative Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking at the SRAI Virtual Meeting. It was my first experience taking part in a fully virtual industry event and I’m so glad that SRAI quickly adapted to host the event together. Thank you to everyone involved in putting on a great virtual experience! My session focused on the trends which have accelerated over the last decade around research administration systems and what the future of research administration technology holds. As the COVID-19 crisis has unfolded over the past few months, many of the trends discussed will likely further accelerate, so I wanted ...
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Kudos Korner | Nathan L. Vanderford

By SRAI News
Kudos Korner | Nathan L. Vanderford SRA International members rock! As research management and administration professionals, they never stop improving, learning, achieving, or earning new heights of success. We love sharing good news and offering a well-deserved slap on the back for recent personal and/or professional achievement. In keeping with that sentiment, please join with us as we congratulate Nathan L. Vanderford on the recent publication! SRA International is a professional networking community of learners. One way to gain knowledge and expertise is to share our stories of successful achievements with our peers and colleagues. Often research ...
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Insights on iSRA’s First Virtual Conference

By SRAI News
Insights on iSRA’s First Virtual Conference In light of current situations regarding COVID-19 and the cancelling of our Spring Section meetings, SRAI hosted a new and flexible education opportunity for the community – an iSRA Virtual Conference. We are happy to share that over 500 attendees participated in the first iSRA Virtual Conference! Our mission is to continue to provide you with opportunities to share, learn and build community with the quality programming you’ve come to expect from SRAI – and we were pleased that so many of you were able to participate and make our first virtual conference a success. The iSRA Virtual Conference offered an ...
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51 Years as the Premier Scholarly Journal in Research Administration

By SRAI News
51 Years as the Premier Scholarly Journal in Research Administration As we usher in a new decade, I am excited that the Journal of Research Administration is entering into its 51 st year of being the premier scholarly journal for disseminating education, training, and scholarship related to the field of research administration and management. In this issue, in particular, we celebrate the international nature of our field and the possibilities of strengthening our discipline through our international collaborations and interactions. We live and work in a complex global economy in the broadest sense, and, as research administrators, we work to manage a research ...
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Honor Your Peers and Colleagues & Nominate them for the 2020 SRAI Awards

By SRAI News
Honor Your Peers and Colleagues & Nominate them for the 2020 SRAI Awards SRAI Awards are a great way to acknowledge and honor individual Research Managers and Research Administrators for their remarkable contributions to the research management & administration profession and to the Society. You don’t need to think hard to find peers in your network who does an outstanding job and who you admire; so how about nominating them for an award? Deadline: Monday, May 18 . The Herbert B. Chermside Award The Chermside Award was named in honor of Herbert B. Chermside, who passed away in June 2006. The award is given in recognition of the recipient’s ...
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2020 Call for Nominations | SRA International Board of Directors

By SRAI News
2020 Call for Nominations | SRA International Board of Directors Deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 19, 2020 Help SRA International develop excellence in research administration, management and development of our profession by submitting a nomination to serve on the Board of Directors! Nominations are now open for the following positions: Secretary (2-year commitment) At-Large Board Member (2 Positions – 3-year commitment each) Click here for position descriptions and nomination information . As a member of the Board of Directors, you will volunteer with a diverse group of leaders who will make decisions on SRA International’s ...
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We're Here to Help You Stay Strong! | LevelUP

By SRAI News
We're here to help you stay strong! | LevelUP According to Statista, interest in buying dumbbells online has increased 725% over the last 30 days. Right now, building your professional strength is just as important building physical strength. It is the perfect time to invest in yourself, and take your research administration skills to the next level with LevelUP micro-credentialing . What better time than now to jumpstart your training? LevelUP offers: Cost effective, high quality online education Right-sized, targeted modules developed by thought-leading experts A growing library of course materials to build a strong foundation A ...
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Call to Apply to SRAI’s Distinguished Faculty

By SRAI News
Call to Apply to SRAI’s Distinguished Faculty SRA International is now accepting applications for Distinguished Faculty, with a deadline of June 1 . You might be wondering, just who are Distinguished Faculty? Members of SRAI’s Distinguished Faculty enhance the professional development of research administrators around the world by creating and presenting high quality education and training content that adds to the body of knowledge in the field of research administration. Distinguished Faculty serve as “thought leaders” to help the Society develop educational programming that is responsive to the significant events, complex issues and new trends ...
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Volume LI, Number 1, From the Editor's Desk

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Author Nathan L. Vanderford University of Kentucky As we usher in a new decade, I am excited that the   Journal of Research Administration   is entering into its 51st year of being the premier scholarly journal for disseminating education, training, and scholarship related to the field of research administration and management. In this issue, in particular, we celebrate the international nature of our field and the possibilities of strengthening our discipline through our international collaborations and interactions. We live and work in a complex global economy in the broadest sense, and, as research administrators, we ...
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Success? Learning to Navigate the Grant Funding Genre System

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Success? Learning to Navigate the Grant Funding Genre System Author Lynn McAlpine University of Oxford, UK Abstract An award as principal investigator (PI) is an aspiration for many post-PhD researchers. However, we know little of the actual journey from PhD graduation to achieving this goal. Using a qualitative narrative approach, this study explored how eight science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine post-PhD researchers (on contracts and fellowships) achieved PI-ship, specifically, how they learned to use and navigate the funding systems within their working contexts to achieve grant success. They were ...
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Measuring the Startup Journey and Academic Productivity of New Research Faculty through Systems Engagement, Project Efficiency, and Scientific Publication

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Measuring the Startup Journey and Academic Productivity of New Research Faculty through Systems Engagement, Project Efficiency, and Scientific Publication Author Holly R. Zink Children’s Mercy Hospital Jack D. Curran Children’s Mercy Hospital Abstract Little is known about the process of tracking the activity and days-to-productivity of new research faculty in pediatric academic medical centers in the United States. The purpose of this study was to design a quantitative technique for measuring the startup journey and academic productivity of new research faculty at an established research academic medical center. ...
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Scaling up Professionalization of Research Management in Southern Africa

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Scaling up Professionalization of Research Management in Southern Africa Authors Charmaine Williamson University of South Africa Karin Dyason Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association Jose Jackson Michigan State University Abstract In the furtherance of knowledge, researchers and research are supported organizationally, but sometimes organically. Yet the research enterprise needs to be systemically managed. Research managers, however, are still striving to define their functions. Is research management part of the continuum of research itself? Is it an occupation? Is it a profession? ...
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Creation of a Structured Performance-Based Assessment Tool in a Clinical Research Center Setting

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Creation of a Structured Performance-Based Assessment Tool in a Clinical Research Center Setting Authors Marcus R. Johnson Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A. Jasmine Bullard Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System Grant Support The project reported/outlined here was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Cooperative ...
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Reprint 2011: Conscious Efforts to End Unconscious Bias: Why Women Leave Academic Research

By SRAI JRA
Volume LI, Number 1 Reprint 2011: Conscious Efforts to End Unconscious Bias: Why Women Leave Academic Research Authors Debra M. Easterly, EdD Idaho State University Cynthia S. Ricard, PhD Office of Research Integrity (ORI/DHHS) Foreward After re-reading the article by Easterly and Ricard on reducing unconscious bias to retain women in academic research I find myself having mixed feelings with regard to the progress we have made the publication of this important work. On the negative side, this article is, unfortunately, as timely and relevant as it was when it was published. The representation of women faculty in institutions of higher ...
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Note from the Editor | #InThisTogetherRA

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | #InThisTogetherRA What a difference a month makes.  In last month’s editorial, Seema Dhindaw wrote about how our profession could continue to be productive if and when we were forced to work from home.  Now remote work is the new reality for most of the United States and many countries around the globe.  We are sheltering in place and being told (and sometimes ordered) to wear masks and gloves when leaving our homes.  What can we do to ease our anxieties at this time when we are in a frequently more dystopian society?   Although not ideal, teleconferencing is an important tool to keep us connected to our co-workers and families.  ...
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View from the Top | Managing Expectations and Perceptions During a Pandemic

By SRAI News
Managing Expectations and Perceptions During a Pandemic I live in New York City aka COVID-19 epicenter in the USA. To be precise, I live in a middle-class neighborhood in Queens about 20 miles from Manhattan. Under “normal” circumstances I ride the subway to work each day for about 45 minutes one-way. I have not done that since Friday, March 13th. As of this writing I am finishing four weeks of working from my bedroom on a small laptop on a foldable snack tray. My staff will tell you that I am one of those people who hate working from home and I do not allow my staff to have set days for doing so either – I know, I’m old fashioned in that regard, but we ...
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The Secret Life of a Research Administrator | Sirens of New Orleans Dance Krewe

By SRAI News
My secret life has me as a member of the Sirens of New Orleans Dance Krewe “The Secret Life of a Research Administrator” column is meant to facilitate more personal connections between SRAI members through the Catalyst newsletter. If you would like to share with the community or know of someone who will,   please submit your article here .   “If you go to New Orleans (pronounced Orleens in the song), you ought a go see the Mardi Gras.” This song by Professor Longhair is played countless times during the carnival season. And if you go to New Orleans during Carnival, you may catch me with my dance krewe (this is how we spell crew in reference to parades ...
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