CALS DDO - Points of Contact - Research Division
Updated June 2025
For more detailed information about this series of documents, please return to the CALS DDO - Points of Contact - Overview.
Overview
http://research.cals.wisc.edu/The CALS Research Division provides administrative support for securing the resources needed to carry out the research mission in the college, including i) review of extramural grant proposals, ii) submission of internal research grants that require college-level approval, iii) negotiating the terms of incoming research grants, contracts, and fee-for-service as well as those found in the full spectrum of non-funded agreements such as: material transfer agreements, confidentiality (non-disclosure) agreements, memorandums of understanding, data use agreements, and facility use agreements.
Staff also oversee or provide guidance on multiple aspects of research compliance, including animal care and use and accreditation, intellectual property disclosures, responsible conduct of research, conflict of interest, biological safety, and human subjects. CALS Research Division represents the college on UW campus research committees, working groups, and task forces, and provides oversight of the CALS Agricultural Research Stations.
The CALS Research Division works with all extramural sponsors and internal institutional awarding units, and Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) through award negotiation and set up. After an award has been negotiated and funding has been set up in an account in WISER, financial management of grants/contracts transfers to CALS Research Division Grant Accountants.. Non-financial progress and reporting continues to be handled through CALS Research Division. USDA capacity funding (Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Animal Health) is administered by the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES) in partnership with CALS Business Services.
Staff
Troy Runge, Associate Dean for Research
608-890-3143, trunge@wisc.edu
- Responsible for administration, management, and supervision of the college's extramural grant programs, including compliance and assurance issues
- Primary contact with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education for campus and national research policy, and with WARF on patent disclosures and intellectual property issues
- Scheduling through Tara Darga, tara.darga@wisc.edu
Sandy Fowler, Assistant Dean for Research
608-262-3947, sandy.fowler@wisc.edu
- Oversees the operations of the Research Division, which includes facilitating research opportunities, proposals, submissions, contracting, and award management through closeout while fostering ethical stewardship of research funds and sponsor expectations
- Coordinates with college and campus partners to support all facets of research compliance within the college, including biological safety, animal care and use, human subjects, conflict of interest, export controls, and responsible conduct of research
- Serves as liaison with Research and Sponsored Programs, Office of Legal Affairs, OVCRGE, and other campus offices related to research activity as well as WARF
Casey Hillmer, Assistant Director, WAES
608-262-2397, casey.hillmer@wisc.edu
- Responsible for the annual Hatch, Hatch Multistate, McIntire-Stennis, and Animal Health Call for Proposals process and Hatch and McIntire-Stennis Capital Exercise
- Responsible for all Hatch, Hatch Multistate, McIntire-Stennis, and Animal Health financial reporting to USDA
- Distributes the Hatch and McIntire-Stennis startup commitment funding
- Manages the REEport and Plan of Work reporting requirements for the college Hatch, Hatch Multistate, McIntire-Stennis, and Animal Health Programs
- Responsible for Gift in Kinds
Carolyn Rindahl, Post-award Grant Accountant
608-262-3588, crindahl@wisc.edu
Sarah Johnson-Schlueter, Compliance Specialist
608-265-3752, sarah.johnsonschlueter@wisc.edu
- Oversees responsibilities for research compliance of all extramural funding including but not limited to conflicts of interest and institutional board reviews, and facilitates resolutions to meet federal, state, and university regulation/policy for researchers in CALS
- Provides leadership for AAALAC accreditation, including direction and guidance to staff and units throughout CALS in cooperation with other campus oversight units
Mandi Moy, Project Manager
608-262-3535, mandi.moy@wisc.edu
Megan Maguire, Preaward Manager
608-265-8443, megan.maguire@wisc.edu
- Provides support for long range planning, quality control/assurance, and training
- Animal & Dairy Sciences, Bacteriology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Nutritional Sciences, Undergraduate Programs & Services
- NIH T32 training grants
Martin Lea, Preaward Specialist
608-890-1909, lea@wisc.edu
Ryan Dunn, Preaward Specialist
ryan.dunn2@wisc.eduBecky Lowery, Agreement and Contract Negotiator
Limin Tang, Post-award Grant Accountant
608-262-8666, limin.tang@wisc.edu
Noelle Wilharm, Post-award Grant Accountant
608-262-1999, noelle.wilharm@wisc.edu
Katie Datka, Post-award Grant Accountant for Rural Partnership
Shanon Hankin, Grant Development Specialist
608-265-9722, shanon.hankin@wisc.edu
Sarah Rudnick, Agreement and Contract Negotiator
Vicki Schamens, Post-Award Financial Manager
608-262-3731, vicki.schamens@wisc.edu
| Responsibilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance account numbers | Electronic entry/routing/submissions | NIH Commons setup (assignment of passwords) | Regulatory compliance
|
| ARS Summer Internship competitions | Exceptional circumstances | NIH Just-in-Time (JIT) submissions | Risk Management/Insurance Certificates reviews |
| Award setup | ezFedGrants proposals/reporting | NIH RPPR (progress reports) | SEED competitions (VCRGE) |
| F&A/Indirect costs - waivers and off-campus approvals | Non-federal agencies/sponsors | Shared grants (subcontracts to UW-Extension & other UW system schools) | |
| Baldwin submissions | Facility Use Agreements | NSF Fastlane/Research.gov | Speaker agreements |
| CALS Bridge funding competitions | Federal agencies/sponsors | Nuzum Kickapoo Valley Fund competitions | Subaccounts (prior to award) |
| Budget building/management | Fee-for-service agreements/negotiations | Outreach/training agreements | Subagreements (prior to award) |
| Cayuse 424 | Policies/procedures (compliance, research, admin) | Technical reporting | |
| Clinical trials | Field trials | PI change requests on proposals (prior to award) | Terms/conditions review for grants/contracts |
| Collaboration agreements | Funding opportunities | Pound Research Award competitions | Training grants/fellowships |
| Commodity Board Funding (state, regional, national) | Funding search tools | Program revenue inclusion/issues | Tuition remission issues (prior to award) |
| Confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements (CDAs/NDAs) | Grants.gov | Proposals | University of Wisconsin Consortium for Extension and Research in Agriculture and Natural Resources (CERANR) competitions |
| Contracts/agreement issues/negotiations | Intellectual property issues | Proposal modifications/supplements | USDA-ARS specific cooperative agreements |
| Cost sharing/commitments | International contracts/agreements | Protocol lookup system | USDA-ARS task orders |
| CRADA's (Cooperative Research & Development Agreements) | Invention disclosures | Rebudget requests (prior to award) | VCRGE/WARF grant competitions |
| Cross-college approvals | Industry sponsors/contracts/agreements | Research Administrator Training for CALS | WCIA/CALS/WARF Plant Germplasm competitions |
| Data use/transfer agreements | Limited PI status | Research misconduct issues | Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships (WDGFs) |
| Data analytics - grant/award reports | Material transfer agreements | Research protocols
|
Wisconsin state agency grants/contracts |
| DRAPER-TIF competitions (VCRGE) | Memorandum of agreement/understanding | Research safety | WISPER |
| Effort commitments/issues | NASA NSPIRES (grant system) | Research policy |