SRAI Coffee Talks

Find out what’s brewing with SRAI’s Coffee Talks! Wherever you are in the world, grab a cup of joe and tune in to these important discussions happening in real time, as complex and multi-dimensional as your favorite blend of liquid energy.

What's Brewing in Research Administration?

SRAI Coffee Talks are virtual sessions where hand-picked experts tackle the burning questions in the field of research management and administration. These one-hour virtual discussions offers a unique space to connect with peers and explore a range of topics—from the bold hot issues in research administration to the earthy yet essential workplace skills. Find answers to your questions, earn a CEU (continuing education unit), and join the conversation!

What's Percolating? Upcoming Coffee Talks

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:

Rashonda Harris
Founder & CEO
Purple Sheep Consulting

Robert McTear
Director of Research Administration
New York University School of Medicine

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 Leaders:


Anna Aston
Section Manager
Department of Surgery & Cancer - Faculty of Medicine
Imperial College London
Founder, AI in Research Operations Network (AIRON)
James Shelley
AI in Research Facilitator
Office of Research Services
Western University

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

Submit a Question For An Upcoming Coffee Talk

Have a topic or issue you want an expert to discuss in one of the coffee talks in our lineup? You can share them with us in advance!

Ask A Panelist

See what we've covered this past year!

  • Europe's Research Agenda and Transatlantic Shifts: What U.S. Institutions Need to Know
  • Advocating for Yourself
  • Finding Your Way Through FAR: A Coffee Talk with the Experts
  • Mentoring: What's it All About?
  • Federal Pulse Live: The Federal Landscape in 2026
  • Create a Winning Speaking Proposal
  • Courageous Clarity: Speaking Up with Confidence in Difficult Conversations
  • Building Capacity to Support Growth of Your Institution's Research Enterprise
  • Federal Pulse Live: Interpreting the FY2027 President's Budget Request
  • If You Could Fix One Thing About Clinical Trials, What Would it Be?
  • Shifting Boundaries: The Evolving Role of Research Management and Administration
  • From UG to UGR: What's Changing, What's at Stake, and What You Can Do About It
  • Mind the Gap: How to Understand and Navigate the Pre-Award to Post-Award Transition at Emerging Research Institutions 

Questions?

If you want to learn more about Coffee Talks or have questions for SRAI HQ, do not hesitate to reach out.


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