Staff Contacts for Proposals

When preparing proposals for submission, please notify the appropriate Office of Pre-Award Services (OPAS) staff member from the list below. 

Jim Ayres (CRA), Director - (413) 577-1594

  • Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)
  • Industry under DOD prime awards/proposals
  • Other Colleges & Universities under DARPA prime awards/proposals

​Ellen Bitzer Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-6212

  • U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Justice
  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Department of Treasury
  • Foundations and other non-profits
  • Institutes and Associations

Marcia Day (MPA, CRA) Senior Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-0674

  • U.S. Department of Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Geological Survey, Nat'l Biological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
  • U.S. Agency for International Development
  • Other Sponsors (individuals, foreign governments, etc.)

Linda Downs-Bembury Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal development) - (413) 545-5258

Andressa Gutierrez Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal development) - (413) 545-5216

Brian Kearns Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal development) - (413) 545-4653

Kimberly Lowney Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-0674

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) for departments within the the colleges of Engineering; Humanities & Fine Arts; Social and Behavioral Sciences; and the schools of Education, Management; Nursing; and Public Health & Health Sciences
  • U.S. Department of Commerce (Econ. Dev. Admin., Nat'l. Telecomm and Info Admin., NOAA, National Institute of Standards and Technology)
  • U.S. Department of Defense (Air Force, AFOSR, Army, Navy - not DARPA or Industry with Prime DoD)
  • U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Quasi Gov't (GSA, Nat'l Research Council, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution, Holocaust Memorial Museum)
  • Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Other States, Local Governments
  • Other Colleges & Universities under DOD prime awards/proposals (not DARPA Prime)

Dot Morua-Fernandes Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal development) - (413) 577-3790

Mary Santos Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-9878

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) only for departments in the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Information and Computer Sciences
  • Independent Establishments (EPA, Inter-American Foundation, NASA, NEA, NEH, Office of Research & Dev., Peace Corps, SBA, Nuclear Reg. Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission)

Sara Santos Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-0699

  • DHHS/PHS (Nat'l. Institutes of Health-NIH, Health Resources and Services Admin., Food & Drug Admin., Agency for Health Care Policy, Head Start Program); supporting all schools and colleges except the College of Natural Sciences
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. Dept of Homeland Security
  • Health Agencies
  • Other Colleges & Universities (except proposed subcontracts when any DoD is the prime); supporting all schools and colleges except the College of Natural Sciences

Sarah Vega-Liros (CRA) Senior Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal development) - (413) 545-7559

James Warren Pre-Award Research Administrator (proposal review) - (413) 545-5898

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture  (APHIS, MIS, SEA, CREES, CSRS, NRE Forest Service)
  • DHHS/PHS (Nat'l. Institutes of Health-NIH, Health Resources and Services Admin., Food & Drug Admin., Agency for Health Care Policy, Head Start Program); supporting College of Natural Sciences only
  • Other Colleges & Universities (except proposed subcontracts when any DoD is the prime); supporting College of Natural Sciences only

UMass Innovation Institute - (413) 577-8644

  • Industry (except Prime Federal)
  • Industry Prop & Awards (P&As)