Research Initiatives Associate
Bachelor’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Natural or Physical Sciences, or a related field, and four (4) years of full-time research experience and/or grant/proposal experience OR Master’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher) and two (2) years of full-time research experience and/or grant/proposal experience. Highly proficient, professional experience in spreadsheet management, data collection, and data presentation using Microsoft Office Suite and/or Google Workspace.
PhD (or foreign equivalent) in Biomedical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Natural or Physical Sciences, or a related field. Experience conducting research (research experience as part of a doctoral training program will be considered). Experience in grant writing or supporting the technical or administrative aspects of an external grant application to federal sponsors such as NSF, NIH, DOD, and DOE. Experience writing, editing and/or producing written content for publications or grant applications, as well as presentation experience. Experience working in a higher education or academic medical setting.
The Office of Strategic Research Initiatives (OSRI) is a unit within the Office for Research and Innovation (OR&I), whose mission is to support Stony Brook’s research and scholarly community in its pursuit of extramural funding by developing and executing institutional research strategy and by supporting Stony Brook researchers prior to release of funding opportunity announcements.
The successful candidate will be responsible for increasing institutional research competitiveness through targeted capacity building, including developing partnerships and interdisciplinary teams in strategic research areas. They will also be responsible for conducting strategic intelligence activities to support decision-making, including intelligence gathering, analysis, and delivery through reports, presentations, and communications. They will work closely with other team members to execute strategic research initiatives.
The successful candidate will have excellent customer service and interpersonal skills and will exercise strong organizational skills with an exceptional attention to detail. A successful candidate will be comfortable undertaking a collaborative approach to problem solving and should be capable of effectively multi-tasking in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with a high degree of accuracy and organization. The ability to work both independently and as part of a team is essential for this role. The successful incumbent will exhibit a marked sense of initiative, flexibility to work on projects outside of scientific expertise, and ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders. The Research Initiatives Associate will have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, strong verbal and written communication skills for a broad range of audiences, and a strong understanding of university operations and the Higher Education landscape in the United States.
Interdisciplinary Research Partnerships and Capacity Building:Partner closely with proposal development and research development teams to cultivate and scale large-scale, interdisciplinary research initiatives.Provide technical and strategic support for complex, high-value grant proposals, integrated consultancy services, and specialized workshops.Support activities related to Government Relations and Stony Brook’s external government relations firm designed to align institutional research strengths with emerging federal and state funding mechanisms as well as with advocacy efforts.Partnership and Ecosystem Cultivation:Develop and implement strategies to facilitate the development of high-impact internal and external partnerships to enhance researcher connectivity and impact.Focus on building and sustaining cross-sector collaborations with national laboratories, industry partners, state/federal agencies, and community organizations to support collaborative grant applications, research translation opportunities, and other institutionally strategic efforts (e.g., workforce development programs).Present and represent the OR&I and strategic research services at selected meetings and workshops.Strategic Intelligence:Conduct advanced strategic intelligence activities to advance SBU’s research enterprise. This includes continuous data mining and analysis of federal funding trends, agency priorities, and legislative/regulatory updates for their relevance to SBUs research portfolio, as well as monitoring and analyzing institutional research capacity.Responsibilities include translating these insights into actionable briefings, landscape reports, white papers, and comprehensive institutional responses to Requests for Information (RFIs), as well as disseminating them as appropriate to campus stakeholders. Other duties as assigned.
The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation. Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding. This is a full-time appointment. FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.
Due to U.S. Export Control laws and regulations, the candidate hired will need to be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other "protected individual" (as defined by 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1324b(a)(3).
For this position, we are unable to sponsor candidates for work visas.
Resume/CV and cover letter should be included with the online application.
Stony Brook University is committed to excellence in diversity and the creation of an inclusive learning and working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.
If you need a disability-related accommodation, please call the university Office of Equity and Access (OEA) at (631) 632-6280 or visit OEA.
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The starting salary range (or hiring range) to be offered for this position is noted below, it represents SBU’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
2603431
Official Job Title: Administrative Staff Assistant IV
: Administrative & Professional (non-Clinical)
: US-NY-Stony Brook
Department/Hiring Area: OPD
: Full-time
:Day Shift Shift Hours: 8.30 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
: Oct 2, 2026
: Nov 2, 2026, 4:59:00 AM
Salary:$82,000 - $100,000
Appointment Type: Regular
Salary Grade:E4
SBU Area:The Research Foundation for The State University of New York at Stony Brook
