Whether it is through a book pulled from a library shelf or a grant submitted through a portal, Jennifer Ivey loves helping people explore new worlds.
As a grants coordinator in the College of Pharmacy, Ivey supports researchers through the pre-award process, helping to ensure their proposal have the best chance possible.
“The most important thing is accuracy and making sure I’ve followed that RFP to the letter,” she said. “I strive to follow the instructions as accurately as possible so that the principal investigator has a good chance of having that proposal reviewed and awarded.”
But before Ivey worked with researchers on new discoveries, she helped readers discover new works of literature at the Madison County Library, part of the Athens Regional Library System, for 17 years. She started in children’s services and became the branch manager. In addition to programming, events and other library work, she wrote a few grants, as well.
When Ivey saw the opening for a grants coordinator in the College of Pharmacy, she thought it might be a good fit. Although the processes look a little different, the support of important work is the same. She’s been in her current role for four years.
“I was public service in the library, and I’m still public service here, helping faculty with proposal review and submission,” Ivey said. “I’m still doing things to make society better, just in a different way.”
Faculty members write their proposals, then Ivey reviews those proposals for compliance with the guidelines. She also answers any questions — often having to do with budget — throughout the process. Once all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed, she formally submits the proposals in their respective portals.
“Being able to catch something, even the small things, might mean the difference between them getting the grant or not,” she said. “I’m a small part of making it the best it can be.”
That attention to detail might be what Ivey enjoys most about her work.
“It scratches my organizational itch,” she said. “Everything has a place, and I can put everything in that place.”
Her main role is to make sure the proposal follows the sponsor’s guidelines to the letter — everything from page limits to word counts to perhaps even the margins and fonts. She’s even counted characters per inch to make sure an application is compliant.
Once a faculty member notifies her office of an intent to submit an application, Ivey reviews the RFP and creates a checklist of the documents needed. Throughout the application process, she checks in with reminders and makes sure they have what they need. Once the application is ready, she reviews and submits it. If awarded, the office hosts a kickoff meeting with the investigator and pre- and post-award grants administrators.
“Our job as research administrators is to reduce the administrative burden on the faculty,” she said. “They know we’re going to catch something that’s related to formatting, and they can focus on the scientific aspects of the application.”
Ivey actively seeks out professional development opportunities for herself. She’s submitted 68 proposals since being granted DLSA (decentralized limited signature authority) status. To earn that status, she trained under someone else with DLSA status and then took a test to determine her knowledge and skills. She’s also studying to become a certified research administrator, specializing in pre-award work.
Ivey was no stranger to UGA’s campus before working here, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the university. She’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Georgia.
Although that keeps her busy, Ivey still finds time to read for fun with her book club and continues to serve on the Madison County Library’s Friends of the Library board. She also enjoys traveling, particularly to the mountains for hiking or exploring old cemeteries, and spending time with her family.
In her daily work, she’ll continue to check things off her to-do list in support of the faculty’s work.
“I know how hard these investigators work to get these applications together,” she said.