In this series, meet members of the University of Illinois’ Research Development Community. Herbert DaCosta is a research development manager in the Office of Proposal Development.
1. What does your day-to-day look like?
I assist the Illinois research community in the development of large and multidisciplinary grant proposals. This involves various types of activities, including project management and proposal development activities.
Project management may include tasks such as:
- Coordinate teams involving faculty members and staff from various departments/units and sometimes from multiple universities;
- Develop timelines and lists of tasks to be accomplished by the various team members;
- Communicate with team members about their tasks and progress towards deadlines.
Proposal development activities include:
- Writing drafts of components of the proposal package, such as data management plan,
management plan, description of facilities and equipment, ethics plan, letters of collaboration, methods to enhance reproducibility of research, training on the responsible conduct of research, and more; - Editing files such as the project description/narrative and project summary;
- Collecting and editing personnel files such as biosketches, lists of collaborators, and lists of funding support.
2. What do you enjoy about your current position?
I enjoy helping the Illinois research community in reaching its goals. I share the viewpoint that no matter my job title or particular duties, I always work with the customer service mindset, whether that be internal or external customers. I also like the fact that I am always learning something new with each project that I assist on, which in turn helps me become better in my position.
3. What was your path to your current role on campus
I obtained two doctoral degrees (the first in chemistry, and the second one in chemistry, with minors in physics and computer engineering) and did two postdocs. After that, I worked in industrial research and development. However, I realized that I liked writing more than working in research and development. I then learned that I could combine my science skills and my interest in writing into a single career path — now known as research development. I took a position as the only pre-award person in a small college. That was the perfect training for my current OPD position at Illinois, which I started in 2017. As part of my continuous development, next year, I plan to finish an M.S. in Journalism here at Illinois.
4. Are there particular experiences or mentors that shaped your career?
I learned something from every experience and every person with whom I’ve interacted with over the years. Along the way, many people have served as mentors, even though they might not have realized it.
5. What are your interests and hobbies? Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of your position!
I like reading, running, and playing soccer. I played competitive soccer in high school, ran track in college and part of graduate school, and then came back to soccer later as I finished graduate school. And, now, I have gone back to running ever since my time as a postdoc.