Virginia Tech is a R1 university, meaning it has achieved and still achieving the highest tier of research activity in the United States. The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD) is a vibrant community that supports 250+ faculty and 1600 students. It includes four schools and 14 disciplines combining creativity, technical skills and wonder. The Research & Creative Scholarship team is specifically working to support faculty members and their success in research and creative scholarship, while fostering a thriving environment and infrastructure. AAD’s research and creative scholarship outcomes reflect the breadth of talents and include publications, grants, live performances, screenings, patents, etc.
The Research Administration & Development Coordinator will demonstrate a strong code of ethics and integrity, exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality while serving as a trusted steward of research administration processes and resources. The successful candidate plays a pivotal role in helping to enhance the research and creative scholarship success in AAD. This individual will assist in coordinating an array of research development opportunities, including liaising with external stakeholders, internal research events (twice a year), and collaborative projects, with a particular focus on facilitating increased communications internal and external to the university. The coordinator will assist faculty and the dean’s office in helping to manage contractual obligations, budget and logistics, while ensuring adherence to institutional and funding regulations. The Research Administration & Development Coordinator will support the college in achieving its goals related to increased grant success, research impact and reputation.
Key responsibilities of the position include:
● Research Development Coordination
o Support research development training workshops
o Coordinate events that showcase research and creative scholarship across the college (twice a year)
o Coordinate engagement with internal stakeholders (e.g. research institutes, centers, etc) and external stakeholders to develop new funding opportunities, both nationally and internationally
o Guided by the Associate Dean of Research & Creative Scholarship, engage with faculty across the college to understand their research agendas or creative ambitions to identify affiliated funding sources
● Proposal Funding Management
o Assist faculty in developing their budget for funding proposals
o Coordinate the collection of proposal documents and ensure expectations are addressed prior to submission with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
o Liaise with OSP for needed post-award support, such as monitoring research spending, re-budget requests, cost share reporting, etc.
o Track grants internal to the university received by AAD faculty and promote/support plans for pursuit of associated external funding
o Serve as an ongoing resource for faculty in addressing questions or issues that arise in the pursuit and execution of externally funded scholarships.
● Research Administrative and Logistical Support
o Maintain records of funding proposals, awards and press release
o Prepare reports and assemble data for college leadership and external stakeholders.
o Assist in the development of promotion materials and communication strategies to highlight the research and creative scholarship portfolio of the faculty
o Prepare and send out monthly newsletters which highlight upcoming deadlines for funding opportunities and faculty success
o Assemble information and data on the impacts of programs and the college’s overall research and scholarship productivity
o Contribute to the college’s annual report
o Keep track of the different measures of success (e.g. number of applications submitted, $ value of submissions, first time grant submission, etc.)
● Ongoing Improvement
o Stay informed about potential relationships, best practices, and emerging opportunities in research and creative scholarship.
o Solicit and evaluate feedback from faculty, and external partners to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes.