Research Development Support
Office of Research
Mentors
Rebecca McNaughton, PhD Executive Director, Research Development Support, Office of Research
Background
The Research Development Support (RDS) team supports large-scale, interdisciplinary projects across all fields of research at the University of Chicago. We support nascent research by providing Big Ideas Generator seed funding, recommending external funding opportunities, and managing collaborative grants with national laboratories through the UChicago CASE mechanism. We also facilitate federal funding agency engagement by tracking and communicating federal agency research priorities and upcoming new funding opportunities. Informed by these insights, we support faculty in developing complex grant proposals through project management, grantsmanship, resource and partnership identification, and proposal reviews.
Externship Description
Externs will work closely with the mentor and Assistant Director for Operations on various projects, which may include (a) curating grant proposal opportunities and resources and maintaining systems to share these with the research community, (b) developing communication materials to promote RDS services, (c) monitoring federal agency communications, and (d) supporting the proposal development process. Three specific projects will include helping the team to develop a campus-wide Broader Impacts platform and website, a new faculty orientation packet, and new content for the RDS website and intranet pages.
Specific Objectives
- Learn about the federal funding landscape and policies that influence funding.
- Understand the process of large-scale proposal development from ideation through submission.
- Collect, analyze, and organize diverse materials and resources to share with the UChicago research community.
- Utilize project management and analytic tools for effective management of research initiatives and proposals.
Qualifications
The successful extern should be self-motivated and organized with a desire to learn about research funding and scientific communication. Interest and/or experience with website design is desired.
Before submitting an application, please visit the Externships page for instructions regarding our new application platform: myCHOICE-Symplicity.