Research Administration & Finance

Message From the Associate Dean

Fredric Majnoun
Associate Dean

Research Administration & Finance team is dedicated to empowering faculty and researchers by providing seamless financial management and grant administration that supports groundbreaking research and academic excellence.

Within Research Administration & Finance (RAF), specialized teams provide comprehensive support to faculty and researchers. The Office of Financial & Grants Administration (OFGA) manages all post-award aspects of grants, ensuring compliance and strong financial oversight. The Proposal Development Office (PDO) assists faculty with preparing and submitting competitive grant proposals, offering expert guidance throughout the application process. Additionally, our Research Administration Support section provides expertise and supports HR actions, student employment and stipends, visa processing, and other general administrative operations.

As Associate Dean, I am committed to creating a highly organized and responsive environment. My team and I are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of service, so faculty can focus on their research and academic endeavors.

While efficiency and precision are at the core of our work, I believe in the importance of compassion. Supporting faculty and staff goes beyond managing grants—it’s about understanding their work and ensuring they feel valued and heard. By fostering collaboration and providing structure, I am committed to ensuring that your research can thrive within a supportive environment.

Who We Are

The Office of Research Administration & Finance, a part of the Dean’s office, provides departments and principal investigators a centralized and specialized resource for research administration across the School of Medicine. Since 2014, our office has grown to serve 11 departments, including 130 PIs with over 300 active grants and about $200 million in total funds.

The members of our team are specifically trained to be experts in research administration and reporting processes as well as other key business administration processes and work cooperatively with each department to streamline the research administration process. Our model provides a standard and consistent process for reporting, analyzing, and projecting research spending across the School of Medicine. We aim to maximize efficiency while minimizing administrative costs to each department.

Services We Provide

Pre-Award: Our Proposal Development team assists researchers in preparing and submitting grant applications. We provide comprehensive support including funding opportunity identification, proposal writing guidance, budget development, and compliance review to ensure that submissions meet all sponsor and institutional requirements.

Post-Award: The Financial & Grants Administration team manages the financial aspects of awarded grants, ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines and institutional policies. We provide services such as financial reporting, budget monitoring, expense tracking, and grant closeout, allowing researchers to focus on their work while we handle the financial complexities.

Research Administration Support: Our Business Administration branch handles the human resources needs of research teams, including onboarding, payroll management, and student stipends. We also manage general administrative functions that support the smooth operation of research projects, ensuring that all personnel-related matters are addressed efficiently and professionally.

Our commitment to excellence ensures that researchers can focus on their groundbreaking work while we provide the administrative, financial, and compliance support needed to achieve success.