Project Management Office

Our office provides part-time project management support for funded research projects and centers. We understand the complexities of project management in academic research and our project managers offer support tailored to your project needs. Our team of project managers brings years of experience across various industries, providing valuable insights and guidance throughout the project lifecycle. 

Key Features & Details

 

  • Lead principal investigator (PI) must be a faculty member of the Grainger College of Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, or Agricultural & Biological Engineering.
  • The project requesting support for project management must have budgeted for partial support (between 10% to 50% FTE) or have allowable funds to support a project manager.*
  • Other considerations:
    • Project management team availability.
    • Projects that request project management support at the proposal stage are prioritized.

*Note: A project is not eligible if it needs a 100% project manager. Interim support may be available until a full-time PM is hired.

We provide a variety of services, including but not limited to:

  • Regarding project needs, serve as primary contact for project PI(s), project staff, campus, agency, and university departments.
  • Work with PI(s), research teams, and other stakeholders to plan, organize, and implement center-level operational policies and processes.
  • Strategize a plan for implementing the research scope to ensure the project milestones are met.
  • Coordinate, facilitate, and attend meetings and events, including setting agendas, summarizing outcomes, and communicating meeting deliverables.
  • Assign and track action items related to technical and managerial project objectives.
  • Compile and summarize project information for reports, presentations, websites, and social media channels.
  • Coordinate visits and disseminate necessary communication with granting agencies, research collaborators, and other stakeholders.
  • Work with the Office of Technology Management to prepare and file invention disclosures and patent applications arising from project work.
  • Relieve PI of programmatic management as relevant to the project, including interfacing with programmatic staff such as human resources, finance, marketing and communications, and the University's Sponsored Program Administration office.
    • Project managers do not replace these other support services but rather complement them.

Meet the Team

Mallory Gorman

Project Manager

Chris Lockwood

Project Manager

Nick Sans

Nick Sans

Project Manager

Andrea Whitesell

Project Manager

Contact Us

LAUREL PASSANTINO
Assistant Dean for Research
203 Engineering Hall
(217) 300-7209
laurel@illinois.edu

KARA HALEY
Associate Director for Research
201 Engineering Hall
(217) 244-3775
haleykl@illinois.edu

Questions About the Project Management Office? Contact us today to learn more about our part-time project management services and explore how we can support your project needs. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of project management and drive success for your research and team.