“I am a PI! Now What?” is a program to assist new Principal Investigators of major grants at UMass Amherst. Building on the success of the Family Research Scholars program, a new, informative seminar series and comprehensive on line resources are now available to faculty who have received a major grant award.
The program is intended to assist faculty PIs in managing the sometimes challenging tasks of getting all the administrative work completed on a grant while staying focused on the really important piece...the research! It covers topics such as overall PI responsibilities, working with subcontractors, hiring and supervising staff, monitoring budgets, and reporting strategies. The program has been developed by senior (grant-funded) faculty who has ‘been there’ and can provide strategies and information based on their experience.
“I am a PI! Now What?”
New Principal Investigators from across campus gathered at the Campus Center on Friday the 10th of February to attend the “I’m a PI!, Now What?” workshop. This fresh approach to post award support for faculty was well received last semester, so collaborative efforts continued this spring between the Office of Research Development and the Center for Research on Families to host this popular forum.
This workshop (for faculty and prepared by faculty) appealed to over 30 attendees representing areas of UMass such as Public Health, Communication Disorders, Anthropology, Economics, Music and Dance, Biology and Psychology to name just a few. Administrators from both Hampshire and Amherst Colleges also came to gather information about post-award support to bring back to their campuses.
Maureen Perry-Jenkins, Professor of Psychology, presented concise and poignant material about how to start, administer, lead and disseminate findings of a funded research grant. The challenge most PI’s have is maintaining research productivity while balancing so many other tasks. This workshop provided a road map to this somewhat daunting path.
Attendees were enthusiastic and positive about the workshop. “Great presentation by a knowledgeable and dynamic presenter. Good participation from people who know how this process works,” said faculty participant.
Future workshops have been planned for the spring: Managing your Budget”( March 14th at 9am). This smaller workshop will be hands on and demonstrate how to use the Summit system to track expenses. Another workshop is planned for April 4th at 9am: “Managing your Research Team.” Topics will include hiring your staff, obstacles you might face, and keeping your team motivated.
Over a year ago, the Center for Research on Families was asked to build a program that mirrored the success of its Family Research Scholars Program in collaboration with the Office of Research Development. This new effort launched a comprehensive program of post award research support for principal investigators on campus.
Please contact Wendy Varner or David Bosch at the Center with any questions or to register for future workshops.
Workshop Handout (Click to dowload)
"Budget Workshop is the Next Step for New PI Program"
The Office of Research Development and the Center for Research on Families continued its commitment to new Principal Investigators by offering another installment of the “I’m a PI! Now What?” series, which focused on budget and finance issues related to grant work. The series is designed by faculty members, for faculty members, and is intended to assist PIs in managing the administration of the grant in order to focus on the research! This particular workshop on March 14th addressed one of the more challenging issues faculty members face - handling the money! PIs and administrators from across campus attended, including Psychology, Communication, Microbiology, Geosciences, Nursing and Environmental Conservation departments and the School of Education to name just a few.
Faculty learned how their budgets, spending activity and payroll information could be accessed easily through a “PI Dashboard” available by logging on to SUMMIT, a Umass web-based tool that delivers financial data quickly. Faculty were encouraged to keep track of their spending regularly and to work with their bookkeepers on issues such as procards vs. travel cards, supply and equipment purchases and travel arrangements. Hopefully the tips from the presenters and peers helped to diminish any budget-anxiety!
Special thanks to Joe Hession from Administration and Finance who provided the overview and hand’s on training. For more information contact Joe at jhession@admin.umass.edu or go to: http://www.umass.edu/af/systems/. We would also like to thank Maureen Perry-Jenkins for her continued involvement for facilitating these workshops.
Workshop Handouts (Click to dowload)
Handout 1 (doc)
Handout 2 (pdf)
"New PI Workshop Addresses Leadership and Building a Research Team"
Save the Date - May 9th, 2012 - 12-2pm (location tbd)
The “I’m a PI! Now What?” workshop series continues on April 4th at 9am. We hope you will be able to join us as we discuss “Managing Your Research Team.”
Building a team means hiring - and hiring means - “paperwork” and “procedures”. Whether hiring an hourly Lab Manager or a professional Project Manager, there are steps all PIs need to take. This workshop will offer some time-saving tips and clarification. We will also cover topics such as sample applicant interview questions and advice on how to be a leader who is project driven and motivating at the same time. Please email specific questions in advance of the workshop to David Bosch – dbosch@psych.umass.edu – so we make sure to address your concerns.
Guest Speaker: Assistant Professor from the Kinesiology Department and Director of the Pediatric Physical Activity Laboratory Sofiya Alhassan will help lead the discussion and share her experiences managing her multiple research teams.
To register please send me an email @ dbosch@psych.umass.edu (Refreshments will be served)
Workshop Handouts (Click to dowload)
Handout 1 (pdf) - presentation outline
Handout 2 (doc) - interview questions
Handout 3 (doc) - policy for post docs
To receive announcements about our PI workshops and trainings please join our mailing list (see right hand corner) & select the New PI List Serv.
For more information please contact:
Wendy Varner - wendy@sbs.umass.edu
