By Jailene Aguirre
In this series, meet members of the University of Illinois’ Research Development Community. In this RDC Spotlight, get to know Maggie Berg, a development manager within the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute.
- What does your day-to-day look like?
That is a tough question because my day-to-day varies so much. Currently, a lot of my time is focused on planning for the Emerging Research Leaders Academy, a new leadership development program for mid-career faculty. This has been in the works since 2019 and I am excited for it to launch this fall. Many of my RDC colleagues across campus are collaborating with us to finalize the workshop content and it’s been great to work with all of them and incorporate some fresh ideas into the program.
I also recently worked with the IHSI Research Development Team to write and submit an NIH grant proposal to support IHSI’s Community-Academic Scholars program. This was the first NIH proposal in which I played a key role in the entire process — from planning through submission. I was grateful for all the NIH knowledge I have picked up after many years of running the NIH Grant Writing Series.
I also like to keep up with funding trends and new opportunities for Illinois researchers. For example, I have been keeping a close watch on ARPA-H and thinking of ways to facilitate new collaborations and project ideas for that agency.
- What do you enjoy about your current position?
I enjoy getting to know many different people and learning about their research. I also love developing new programs and getting new initiatives off the ground. I like having new challenges to keep me on my toes — it keeps the work interesting!
- What was your path to your current role on campus?
I have been at UIUC a long time. I started as an undergraduate in animal sciences in 2000 and stayed for my M.S. and Ph.D., which were both done in the microbiology division of animal sciences.
During my postdoc, my advisor became the director of the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance and needed a program coordinator. He knew I was interested in moving into a career away from the bench and asked if I wanted to work half-time with the Division of Biomedical Sciences (the precursor to IHSI) to manage the Mayo Alliance. That experience eventually led to my full-time research development position at IHSI in 2015.
I have supported a few different program areas since, including Precision Medicine and Maternal and Child Health. I now lead the IHSI Research Development Core, which provides proposal development support and develops faculty development and grant seeking training programs. Additionally, I work closely with the Microbial Systems Initiative leadership to facilitate collaborative research in the microbial sciences through workshops, networking events, and a monthly research community newsletter.
- Are there particular experiences or mentors that shaped your career?
I had great mentorship from Jennifer Eardley, who provided much insight and wisdom as I was starting my research development career. I would have been completely lost without her guidance! Becoming more involved with the National Organization of Research Development Professionals and expanding my professional network has also had a huge impact on my career. I have learned so much from my NORDP colleagues and it’s been reassuring to have the support of that community.
- What are your interests and hobbies?
I enjoy dancing, singing, cooking, and playing board games with friends. I also teach fitness classes at Defy Gravity Pole Fitness and Aerial Arts Studio.