Research Administrator of the Year Award

The Research Administrator of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of a research administration professional to the research enterprise at Portland State University. The recipient of this honor will receive an award and a $1,500 taxable honorarium. 

Research administration is a broad field that includes support provided to research at any stage of the sponsored project lifecycle, from the identification of funding opportunities to intellectual property management. Research administration responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Identifying research funding opportunities

• Participating in proposal development, internal review processes, and submission to a funding agency

• Negotiating terms and conditions of awards and participating in the administration of an award

• Assisting with contract modifications, extensions, progress reports, or effort certification

• Administration of a research account, centrally or departmentally, from account set-up to account management to close-out

• Providing support in the form of compliance review for export controls, animal use, human subject research, biosafety matters, etc.

• Managing invention disclosures and intellectual property generated by sponsored research

Eligibility Criteria

• At least .50 FTE 

• Employed in a research administration role at PSU for at least one year

Selection Criteria

Nominations should clearly address the  following selection criteria: 

• Ways the nominee has advanced and enhanced research administration at the University

• Length and impact of service to PSU, within their own unit and beyond

• Nominee’s level of professionalism, dedication, and service, as reflected in the quality of their professional interactions with employees, faculty, and students at the University and with groups outside the University, such as research sponsors, local organizations, and government representatives, as appropriate to their work responsibilities

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at PSU, and beyond

Who May Submit Nominations

Anyone in the PSU community may nominate a staff member meeting the criteria listed above. Administrators may nominate themselves. Complete nominations via the 2024 Research Awards Nomination Form by Monday, November 6, 2023.

Required Nomination Materials

Complete nomination packets must include:

• Nomination Letter (1-page maximum)
  This letter should describe the nominee’s contributions to their department and unit, and to the University more broadly, as outlined by the selection criteria listed above.

• Current Resume of the Nominee
  Ideally, the nominee’s resume should demonstrate professional growth in research administration, as well as length and impact of service to PSU.

• Supervisor’s Letter of Support (1 maximum)
  Include a letter of support from the nominee’s current or recent supervisor, affirming the nominee’s contributions to research administration at PSU. Supervisors submitting nominations need only submit one letter to serve as both nomination and supervisory support letter.

• Additional Letters of Support (2 maximum)
  Include up to two letters from others on campus (PIs, supervisors, colleagues, etc.) attesting to the nominee’s positive impact on research administration at PSU.

The nomination packets of nominees not selected the previous year will automatically be included for consideration the following year, with letters of support and other nomination materials carried forward by the RGS Awards Manager. Current CVs and/or updated primary letters of nomination may be submitted to update these nomination packets. Nominees not selected in two consecutive years must remain out of review for one selection cycle (one year) before regaining eligibility.

Selection Process

Unit directors will approve completed nominations before they are submitted for review by an interdisciplinary selection committee. The award selection committee will evaluate all eligible nominees and provide recommendations to the Vice President for RGS to guide the final selection of awardees. No more than one awardee will ordinarily be named each year. The review committee may forego naming an awardee in any given year. 

Recognition

• The award recipient will be celebrated during Research Week, May 6-10, 2024.

All required nomination materials must be submitted via the 2024 Research Awards Nomination Form by Monday, November 6, 2023, in order to be eligible for review (pdf format is preferred for all nomination materials).

For answers to questions about this award or the nomination process, please contact the RGS Awards Manager, Amy Crelly: acrelly@pdx.edu, 503-725-9944 or research@pdx.edu.