Research Staff Profile -- Marla Michel

Introducing Research Liaison & Development, Helping the Campus 'Do More'

There’s a new name on campus in the Research Area! The Research Liaison and Development (RL&D) Office has taken on this new title to better reflect its function on campus. Previously called ILED (Industry Liaison and Economic Development), it became clear over that last few years that this name was not representative of the office’s activities and value to campus. “ILED was too hard to explain because it didn't represent the full scope of our activities,” says Marla Michel, RL&D’s director. She’s excited by the change and the greater flexibility it provides her and the RL&D staff to enhance the capacity for research and innovation at UMass Amherst.

The role of RL&D, Michel explains, is to increase the likelihood of success for new initiatives that have the potential to grow sponsored activities. “We know that for our campus to grow its programs and attract the best talent, it needs an enabling infrastructure. RL&D is contributing to that,” says Michel. “UMass Amherst has wonderfully talented faculty. We want to help them ‘do more'." The range of services and products her office provides corresponds to the breadth of initiatives being pursued on campus. The services include, but are not limited to:

proposal support (including project management, analysis, and writing);
liaison to state, industry, and academic institutions on a regional, national, and international level;
communicating about UMass Amherst research excellence.

Examples of programs RL&D works with include SEPRI, PVLSI, ICE, PVTIDE, and externally, the RTC. “It’s a bit of an alphabet soup,” Michel adds with a smile, “but they’re all exciting initiatives with tremendous potential for the campus.” Paul Kostecki, Vice Provost for Research, explains that the RL&D mission is in line with his vision to raise the campus’ capacity for research and innovation. “The Amherst campus is invested in building more interdisciplinary research programs,” says Kostecki. “Many of these initiatives require resources and support services beyond those available through the academic departments of the faculty who are driving them. Because they are campus-wide initiatives, the Research Area would like to provide whatever services it can to support their growth”.

It’s not uncommon for RL&D to assist with internal projects while also representing and marketing the campus externally. To keep apprised of the many activities on campus, RL&D works with faculty, department chairs, and deans as well as the many administrative units on campus including Corporate Relations and Development, Outreach, Career Services, and the Research Area’s other units: CVIP and Research Affairs. “I’m very fortunate to be working with such capable colleagues,” remarks Michel.

Michel and her colleagues maintain an open door policy in their offices on the third floor of the Research Administration Building. They are eager to discuss ideas for new programs and initiatives and take a flexible approach to working through new processes. Contact Marla Michel at 577-0092 to learn more about what RL&D can do for you.

Biography

Director, Research Liaison and Development (RL&D)
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Marla is responsible for developing strategies, processes, tools, and services to enhance the research capacity of UMass Amherst by supporting and promoting interdisciplinary research, international, and educational initiatives that can benefit from industry, regional, and state participation.

Prior to her current position, she was the executive director of the Research Area’s Technology Alliances Group where she was responsible for developing value-added relationships between industry and the UMass Amherst community. Before she joined RL&D, Marla was the executive director of the UMass Electronic Enterprise Institute (EEI) as well as the External Relations Director for the Computer Science Department. With the EEI, she was responsible for overseeing the operations, strategic direction, and outreach programs of an innovative center devoted to electronic enterprise research, education, and e-community development. In her role in the Department of Computer Science, she was responsible for developing and managing relationships with industry partners, alumni matters, and outreach programs.

Marla is passionate about creating an environment where technical women can thrive, and she is the steering committee chair of TWIST - Trends for Women in Science and Technology. TWIST is an initiative on the UMass Amherst campus which was created to attract, support, and retain women in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. See www.umass.edu/twist for more information.

Marla has been with the University since early 1999. Prior to joining UMass Amherst, she was a senior product manager in the AT&T Bell Laboratories Software Technology Center (now Lucent Technologies). While at Bell Labs, she was involved in the technical marketing and development of various information products, software development tools and consulting services, strategic IT planning, software engineering, and the AT&T Smart Phone.

Marla received her BS from the State University of New York at Albany, and her MS from Monmouth College. She is on the Steering Committee for the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership (HSEP), is a Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Plan for Progress Trustee, is a member of the Regional Technology Corporation’s BioEconomic Technology Alliance (BETA), and was a founding member of the board for the RTC’s Technology Enterprise Council (TEC). Marla is also a member of the board for the Friends of Meekins Library in Williamsburg, MA.