Departmental Administration- Instructors

Program Instructors

Sean Scott

Sean Scott retired from the University of Kentucky after more than 22 years of service, with most of that engaged in research administration.  He started as a Research Administrator in the central Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) in 2004, became a Senior Research Administrator, earned his CRA in 2008 and became Assistant Director in 2010.  While in OSPA he designed and implemented a certificate series of classes at UK entitled Research Administration Training & Education (RATE) to help educate staff at the college and department level.  His OSPA responsibilities included being the eRA Coordinator and State Agreement Manager for the institution.  In July of 2017 Sean became the Director of Research Operations in the UK College of Public Health where he has instituted a research administration management structure and training program and oversaw all pre- and post-award activities of the College.  He has since founded 720 Consulting LLC in order to be able to give back to the profession.

Since 2008 Sean has been Key Personnel on a grant from NIGMS whose aim is to assist minority-serving institutions become more successful in the research enterprise.  His activities on that grant have afforded him opportunities to train hundreds of Principal Investigators and Research Administrators across the country and Puerto Rico.

Laura Sheehan

Laura Wennstrom Sheehan serves as Manager of Research Administration at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Family Medicine. She has over 23 years of experience in academic research administration: 10 years in Family Medicine (UCLA), 10 years in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (UCLA), and three years in Civil and Environmental Engineering (at University of Southern California). She is well-versed in several areas of research administration, including pre- and post-award management, management of research staff, divisional/departmental financial management, purchasing, and fellowship administration. She currently supervises Family Medicine Research Unit staff and manages approximately $10M annually in extramural contract and grant funding. UCLA Family Medicine is consistently ranked in the top ten Family Medicine research departments nationwide for federal research funding. 
 
Mrs. Sheehan graduated from the University of Southern California in 2003 with a B.A. in Communication with an Emphasis on Health Communication, and a minor in Performing Arts Studies. She lives in Tarzana, CA with her husband, daughter, and their rescue dog.