Research Staff Profile -- Bruce McCandless

Biography

Managing the Affairs of Research

The Office of Research Affairs (ORA), as part of the Research Area, manages the affairs of research including information services and training to promote external sponsorship, ensuring that research is compliant, and acting as a liaison between the University Research Council and the executive area for research. Under the direction of Bruce McCandless, the office has been building a portfolio of services to help facilitate and grow research at UMass. McCandless explains, "We are a service organization working on behalf of the research community. By working with the faculty governance committees related to research activities, we are establishing a formal mechanism by which we can respond to the research faculty's interests and also go to them for guidance in the development of research policies."

McCandless came to campus in 1974 and therefore has had the opportunity to work with faculty throughout their careers. "I have focused on helping to get new faculty grounded and started," he says. "By being on campus for 30 years, I have been able to work with a full cycle of faculty. Our careers have developed in tandem, and it has been really satisfying to develop those collegial relationships."

ORA has many tools available now and on the horizon that help make research processes more streamlined for both established and new faculty. The office works with faculty to make managing the financial aspects of grants more efficient. Through the Grant Application Management System (GAMS), PI's can access Project Management data relating to building budgets in the pre-proposal stage and managing the finances of a project once it has been awarded.

The office also works with the Office of Grant and Contract Administration (OGCA) to manage the Community of Scholars (COS) database. "This is a great service for alerting people to grant opportunities. Once you create a profile with your research interests and specialties," explains McCandless, "you will receive a customized listing of grant opportunities once a week." ORA is also working on a computerized system to make the mechanics of supporting compliance in both animals and humans more efficient. "We are trying to take some of the burden of compliance away from the advisory committees and researchers."

ORA has been enthusiastically participating on behalf of the research community at the federal level to identify areas where they can streamline the administrative components of doing research. McCandless has been working with representatives from 80 other research universities to influence change in compliance regulations. In addition, the office is positioning UMass to make a smooth transition when the federal government moves to a paperless grant submission and awarding process in 12-18 months. "We are tracking and coordinating our own campus-based proposal development tool so that it will flow automatically through grants.gov, the government portal. We are way out in front in anticipating that change, and that is a great place to be."

To learn more about the services and products ORA has available, visit the research website.