Research Office
OUR OFFICE
The College of Agriculture Research Office provides programs and resources to support Ag faculty in identifying funding opportunities and enhancing research success, including proposal development and submission, grant writing assistance, statistical consulting, interdisciplinary team building, and grant/ contract support.
Through the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES), our office administers the USDA NIFA Hatch and Hatch Multistate projects, provides seed funding for research through the AAES Competitive Seed Grants program, and supports faculty travel to multistate project meetings. In addition, the office coordinates a series of professional development workshops for faculty, staff, and graduate students. These training opportunities serve to support AAES’s outlying/field research stations. The office also coordinates the variety of interdisciplinary research conducted at the AAES-affiliated centers and institutes.
ADDRESS
College of Agriculture
Research Office
101 Comer Hall
Auburn Univ, AL 36849
Contract and Grants Team
Corley Hall
3rd Floor
Auburn Univ, AL 36849
Grant Writing Team
CASIC Building
559 Devall Dr., 2nd Floor
Auburn Univ, AL 36832
Our Team
Associate Dean for Research
ART APPEL
Associate Dean for Research;
Associate Director for AAES;
Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
appelag@auburn.edu
(334) 844-2562
DIRECTOR, RESEARCH PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & GRANTS
MERCEDES MCKOY
Director, Research Program Development and Grants;
College-level designee for proposal submissions
308 Corley Hall
mlf0015@auburn.edu
(334) 844-3905
Proposal Reviews and Submissions
MADISON PEARCE
Contracts & Grants Specialist
310 Corley Hall
mnd0009@auburn.edu
(334) 844-2320
Pre-Award Contact for:
-Dept. of Agricultural Econ & Rural Sociology
-Dept. of Animal Sciences
-School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Sciences
LOGAN HAYES
Contracts & Grants Specialist
310 Corley Hall
lth0022@auburn.edu
(334) 844-2336
Pre-Award Contact for:
-Dept. of Entomology and Plant Pathology
-Dept. of Poultry Science
STEVEN PRUTSMAN
Contracts & Grants Specialist
308 Corley Hall
srp0031@auburn.edu
Pre-Award contact for:
-Dept. of Biosystems Engineering
-Dept. of Horticulture
Grant Writing and Other Support
TIMOTHY HOOPER, MPA, CRA
Proposal Development Specialist III
tph0016@auburn.edu
(334) 844-1431
-Comprehensive grant writing and editorial support for the College faculty
-Provides one-on-one training to faculty on effective federal grant proposals
-Point of contact for AU’s AAES Internal Grants Program
JACQUELINE KOCHAK
Communications Specialist
kochaja@auburn.edu
(334) 844-7465
-Comprehensive grant writing and editorial support for the College faculty
-Provides one-on-one training to faculty on effective federal grant proposals
-Writes and electronically distributes COA monthly e-newsletters
ANNA MATHIS
Grant Writing Support Specialist
acm0136@auburn.edu
(334) 844-1440
-Monitors federal grant announcements and notifies College faculty of new funding opportunities via emailed Executive Summarie
-Provides grant writing support for the College faculty. Provides support to both COA Faculty and Research Office staff on the AAES Internal Grants Program
BERNARDO CHAVES-CORDOBA
Director of Statistics, Teaching & Consulting
167A Funchess Hall
bzc0082@auburn.edu
(334) 844-2577
Statistical Support:
-Assists faculty in designing experiments, analyzing data, and interpreting results.
KE “KELLY” PIPPIN
Manager, Academic & Research Programs
101 Comer Hall
kzp0025@auburn.edu
(334) 844-3210
Services
Pre-Award Services
- Assist faculty in finding research opportunities and developing strong research proposals.
- Assist faculty with proposal, pre-proposal, or Letter of Intent submissions.
- Review budget and proposal documents for compliance with sponsor and Institutional policies.
- Create proposal application workspace and fill out forms, upon request.
- Route proposal electronic e-coverform (eCF) to obtain institutional approvals for submission.
- Coordinate and obtain signatures from AU authorized representative/OSP (including letters of collaboration or other forms).
- Coordinate with external grants offices to collect documentation from other institutional collaborators and subawards, upon request.
- Submit to the sponsor on behalf of Auburn University.
Grant Writing and Statistical Support
- Review agency solicitation requirements and development of a customized proposal checklist.
- Create proposal preparation timelines and processes.
- Develop a compelling “storyline” or gap analysis.
- Assist with assessment, outreach, and diversity component needs.
- Assist with writing of non-technical text and transitions*
- Assist with document control and copyediting.
- Draft Institutional support letters.
- Collect/update the variety of supporting attachments and forms that are requested. These include (but are not limited to) the research team’s Biographical Sketches, Current & Pending forms, and Conflict of Interest attachments.
- Assist faculty in designing experiments, analyzing data, and interpreting results.
*Note: Initial development of proposal content/narrative (i.e., the Investigative Idea) is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator
Interdisciplinary Team Building:
- The Research Office facilitates interdisciplinary team building by connecting researchers from different fields.
AWARD AND POST-AWARD SERVICES
- Assist with questions or information needed for account/FOP setup.**
- Serve as a liaison between central offices and faculty for grant/contract account setup or award modifications.
- Review budget modifications and process documentation to the Office of Sponsored Programs.
- Assist with no-cost extensions (NCE) requests.
- Process award modifications to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), if applicable.
** Project management and post-award activities will be handled at the departmental level in collaboration with the College Business Office. Please work with your department administrator for specific details about their processes.