Gavyn Ryan

Current Client: University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL
Role: Sponsored Projects Specialist, Pre-Award, OSP, April 2024 – Present
Duties:

• Serve as a delegate authorized organizational representative (AOR) and review and submit proposals in assigned department portfolio to sponsors such as DoE, DoD, NASA, NIH, NSF, State of IL, etc.
• Assist departments in assigned portfolio with non-financial post-award matters such as review and submission of non-competing project reports, JIT requests, sponsor follow-up correspondence requests, etc.

Client: Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
Role: Interim Associate Director, Pre-Award Services, OSP, September 2023 – March 2024
Duties:

• Served as authorized organizational representative (AOR) and review and submit proposals to
  sponsors such as DARPA, DoD, NASA, NIH, NSF, etc,
  Led the pre-award team, which consists of a senior contracts & grants specialist and a contracts & grants specialist.
• Assigned incoming proposals based on their experience and volume and provided guidance and coaching as necessary.
• Drafted incoming and outgoing subcontract agreements and facilitated invoice process.
• Managed process for transitioning proposals to awards as awards are made on the pre-award side, and managed the process for non-competing continuation awards.
• Served on Research Website Working group committee to provide input on streamlining internal and external Office of Sponsored Programs pages.
• Served on InfoEd Implementation working group to provide input on Stevens’ migration from COEUS to InfoEd.

• Developed, managed, and measured key objectives, operational plans, and 300+ individual accounts, 115+ sponsored accounts, and 80+ gift accounts, including NIH grants, contracts, and clinical trials totaling ~$31M
• Managed and tracked budgets, set program governance, and defined best practices
• Oversaw reporting and data analysis for clinical funds flow from the Stanford Healthcare Hospital
• Oversaw faculty compensation, bonuses, start-up packages, etc
• Worked cross-functionally on process improvements
• Recruited, hired, trained, and developed a team of 4 Grant Managers and 1 Finance Associate; ensured employee engagement with ongoing development and career paths
• Prioritized and resolved complex issues by leveraging creative problem solving and critical thinking
• Clearly communicated financial policies and procedures, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness
• Actively participated in critical analysis of existing systems, policies, and procedures

• Oversaw the seamless flow of pre- and post-award activities on a portfolio of contracts and grants for faculty, spanning federal and industry sponsors, including NASA, NSF, Department of Energy, and more
• Set goals, developed program guidelines, and resolved emerging issues while creating a stable and centralized program
• Managed and mentored a team of 4 research administrators supporting the Mechanical Engineering department in the School of Engineering
• Collaborated with key players assisting with grant applications to the agencies; efficiently managed accounts and allocated resources
• Facilitated the successful submission of 65 proposals by individuals on the Mechanical Engineering support team, with the expenditures (post-award management) totaling to $27,568,536 for the team
• Developed monthly forecast reports and reviewed financial transactions for assigned portfolios
• Liaised with the director, assistant director, and other managers in the Engineering Research Administration (ERA) unit to set the strategic vision of program
• Employed excellent communication skills to present at monthly ERA Connect training sessions

• Diligently managed the Indiana University and Indiana University Health Physicians practice plan salary recovery process, generating approximately $17M annually within the School of Medicine
• Led and managed a team made up of an assistant director, data analyst, and fiscal compliance manager
• Established and implemented both school-wide and research administration-focused policies and procedures for pre- and post-award processes
• Provided input, strategy, and administrative services to various leadership committees
• Acted as the fiscal officer on key grant accounts
• Successfully led the project to convert an Excel database (used to track and reconcile practice plan payments to contract and grant accounts) into a more stable, robust web-based platform
• Drove the indirect cost recovery process and reduced the 21-page SOP to 10 pages while streamlining processing time from 6 weeks to 3 weeks
• Directed the financial compliance program for the School of Medicine research mission, including practice plan salary recovery on grants, ensuring compliance with NIH NOT-OD-05-061 (NIH policy of guidelines for inclusion of clinical practice compensation in institutional base salary charged to NIH grants and contracts).
• Assisted with deans-level grant submissions and administered construction grant awards.
• Assisted in the establishment of rate setting for auxiliary/recharge units.
• Provided training Comptracker training to staff (practice plan salary recovery process Excel tool).