Leading and Supporting the Facilitation of Ground-breaking Research

William Edwards is the manager of Research Administration for the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM). 

Edwards came to Northwestern from Boston University, where he supported the research enterprise. Now, Edwards works with Northwestern Medicine investigators to prepare proposals, training grants and other efforts to support research within IPHAM. 

Where is your hometown?   

I was born in a small town in Alabama called Jasper, approximately 45 minutes away from Birmingham. A few years after I was born, my family moved to a small town in Northeast Tennessee, near the Virginia and North Carolina borders. 

What led you to Northwestern? 

I came to Northwestern from Boston University after relocating to the Chicagoland area a few years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was excited to bring my research administration skills to the medical and clinical setting in Feinberg after previously working with investigators in environmental and sustainability research. 

What are you currently working on?   

Currently, I’m working with a few cross-disciplinary investigator teams to prepare several upcoming proposal submissions, beginning to work on an institutional training grant application due by end of year and working with the program director to kick off a recently funded T32 training grant. I’m also developing presentations and discussions for ongoing training for our research administration team in IPHAM. Outside of Northwestern, I’ve recently begun working with a multi-institutional team at the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), on a specialized diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. 

How does your work support the research enterprise at Feinberg?    

I support investigators at all stages, including students, postdocs, residents and faculty of all ranks, in IPHAM along the entire grant and research lifecycle, from developing and preparing grant budgets and proposals to responding to sponsor requests throughout the review process, working alongside investigators and research teams to keep project spending and budgets on track and compliant and finally liaising between investigators and other Northwestern offices to ensure all grant deliverables have been met so that we can conclude and close out a grant. I, along with my fellow co-manager on the IPHAM research administration team, also work to develop partnerships with crucial research administration offices at Northwestern and to keep our team up to date in the ever-changing landscape of research administration. I’ve also recently taken on an executive committee role in Northwestern University Research Administration Professionals (NURAP) to help bring together research administrators across Northwestern for meaningful connections and partnerships and training and development opportunities. 

Why do you enjoy working at Northwestern?    

I enjoy working with the renowned and field-leading investigators here at Northwestern to propel their research forward and help free up their time to focus on their research while our team helps facilitate the day-to-day administrative aspects of their grants and projects. It’s extremely rewarding to celebrate the accomplishments and triumphs alongside our investigators, and I also enjoy the opportunities to problem-solve and develop solutions to challenges that our team and investigators face so that our community can continue moving forward with successful and groundbreaking research.