Ted S.
About me
| Ted S. | |
| Medieval Studies | |
| Medieval Studies | |
| Taught Postgraduate | |
| Wentworth | |
| 2013 | |
| United States |
My employment
| Research Administrator | |
| Northwestern Universtiy | |
| United States | |
| Education | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2013 |
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A day in the life of a Research Administrator in the United States
My postgraduate studies at York helped me to develop many of the skills I am using as a research administrator within Higher Education in the US
My career goals when I graduated
To find a job within academia and/or continue to pursue higher education.
My career history
I have been working in research administration at Northwestern since the spring of 2013. Since that time I have been a Grants Assistant, Associate Research Administrator, and currently a Research Administrator all within a central office.
What has helped my career to progress
Having good mentors and attending national conferences, such as NCURA, has helped grow my network as well as my knowledge.
Courses taken since graduation
In the autumn of 2015 I began to take classes at McCormick Theological Seminary (Presbyterian Church USA). Though it does not relate to my current career, it is helping me develop further interests and is opening doors to future career possibilities.
How my studies have helped my career
My studies at York greatly helped me when entering into this career. Having learned to think critically, pay attention to detail, advanced reading and writing skills all came (and still do come) in useful.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
In 5 years I plan to have completed my Master of Divinity degree as well as the ordination process. At that time I hope to pursue either a PhD in the UK or, prior to doing that, entering into a vocational career.
My advice to students considering work
Think outside the field you studied in. Whilst it is good to maintain your knowledge and ability within your chosen field, with limited career opportunities, sometimes you have to go beyond your comfort zone. Though this can be difficult, you will be surprised by what skills you have and those you will pick up and how they will all help you in the long run.
My advice about working in my industry
Do not be afraid to ask questions and always follow-through on what you need to do.
What I do
I work directly with Northwestern faculty members providing an array of pre-award and proposal preparation support for several of the interdisciplinary University Research Centers (which includes areas such as engineering, sociology, and astrophysics), the Kellogg School of Management (KSM), and the Medill School of Journalism (MSJ). I also provide all post-award support for KSM including managing awards and post-award request in numerous systems and handle all pre- and post-review for faculty, staff, and postdoctoral associate effort reporting in KSM and MSJ.
Skills I use and how I developed them
I utilize a lot of the research and writing skills and techniques I picked up whilst completing my postgraduate studies at York. The ability to pay attention to detail, read calls for proposals in depth, and occasionally track down older documents through a multitude of files all came from that experience. Other skills, such as building my own detailed budget spreadsheet and other spreadsheets, have come from working with other research administrators and reviewing their work. There is a lot you cannot prepare for outside of the field, so it must be learned whilst working; but, a lot of skills come from my research work and continuing to pursue further education.
What I like most
My favorite thing about my work is getting to work closely with the faculty at Northwestern University and learn about all of the fascinating research and ideas that are being developed here.
What surprised me most
What surprised me the most is how much I enjoy working with the spreadsheets. As an historian I greatly enjoy spending time reading, but did not expect to wind up actually utilizing--and enjoying--maths!
Next steps...
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