Please note, the date of this event has changed. It will now take place on Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 2:00 pm ET.

Research Administration is about adapting and changing processes and workflows to incorporate the next new policy change or software update. The transfer of institutional knowledge sometimes falls to the side when shifting to digital or a hybrid/remote work environment or as institutions deal with training a new workforce amid an influx of retirements. Where this unwritten knowledge was typically picked up through conversations, experience, and learning from others, it is now harder to pass along given these changes in the working environment.

Join us for this Coffee Talk as we discuss how podcasts can be incorporated as a new training opportunity, helping fill the gap left by those missed conversations.   

Content Level: All Levels

Discussion Leaders:

Moderator: Julie Swaringim-Griffin, PhD, Assistant Vice President, Central Sponsored Programs Administration, Division of the Vice President for Research, Oklahoma State University, SRAI Communications Co-Chair

Click here to register by August 19

Registration is free for SRAI Members. You need to register to receive the login information. 

Not an SRAI Member?
Review benefits and become a member  

Submit questions for the panel in advance

In fast-paced and high-demand work environments, knowing when and how to speak up is an essential professional skill. This Coffee Talk will explore the importance of self-advocacy in the workplace and professional relationships, helping participants develop the confidence to find their voice and the judgment to know when advocacy is needed.

Through an open and engaging discussion, attendees will examine how to set realistic expectations, establish healthy boundaries, and recognize when workload, burnout, or workplace stress begins to affect personal and team well-being. We will be exploring practical approaches to self-advocacy. Panelists will share strategies for communicating concerns constructively, balancing professionalism with honesty and self-awareness, and speaking up early when challenges arise. Join us and gain tools to navigate workplace challenges, support healthier work environments, and contribute to a more resilient organizational culture.

Content Level: All Levels

Discussion Leaders:

Moderator: Karen Mitchell, Assistant Vice President, Research Administration, Temple University, SRAI Distinguished Faculty

Click here to register by October 27

Registration is free for SRAI Members. You need to register to receive the login information. 

Not an SRAI Member?
Review benefits and become a member  

Submit questions for the panel in advance

This Coffee Talk is presented on behalf of the Canadian Section.

Across the world, research administrators are quietly building with AI: prototyping tools, automating workflows, and figuring out what is possible inside real institutional constraints. The AI in Research Admin Builders Group is a peer network for the people doing that work. It now connects more than 350 research administrators and research-support professionals across roughly 200 institutions across continents. In this Coffee Talk we will share what the conversation in this group has surfaced so far: the themes and projects members are bringing to the table, the challenges they keep running into, and the AI quick wins institutions are putting into practice right now. The focus is not on AI literacy, policy, or roadmaps, it is on the workflows and applications actually running live in the wild. No matter where you are in the process - already building or just trying to make sense of where this is all going, join us to ask questions and compare notes. 

Content Level: All Levels

Discussion Leader:

Moderator: Kirsch Pelingon, Research Finance, Research Support Services, Vice-President Research & Innovation Portfolio, University of British Columbia

Click here to register by November 3

Registration is free for SRAI Members. You need to register to receive the login information. 

Not an SRAI Member?
Review benefits and become a member  

Submit questions for the panel in advance