ORSP Administration & Staff | Middle Tennessee State University

David L. Butler, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research
and Dean of Graduate Studies
Phone: (615) 898-2182
Email: david.butler@mtsu.edu

Tara Hayes
Administrative Assistant to VPR & Dean
Phone: (615) 898-5897 Fax: (615) 904-8020
Email: tara.hayes@mtsu.edu

Jeff Porter, MS, CRA
Director
Jeffry.Porter@mtsu.edu
(615) 898-5010

The Director is responsible for 1) the overall performance of ORSP programs and services, including Pre-Award, Post-Award, IRB/IACUC, Undergraduate Research Center, FRCAC, Export Control, Intellectual Property, and ORSP Discretionary Funding; 2) the development and implementation of departmental and University policies and procedures to ensure the effective administration of sponsored programs and University compliance with sponsor requirements; and 3) assisting the efforts of the Vice Provost for Research and other University administration to increase both the number of MTSU faculty engaged in sponsored programs and the total award value of sponsored programs at MTSU.

Wendi Watts, MS
Coordinator
(615) 904-8040
wendi.watts@mtsu.edu

Provides operational support for all areas of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, including faculty start-ups, internal research funding, procurement, bookkeeping, and personnel (hiring, termination, extra comp, summer salary). The coordinator also creates and maintains all ORSP online forms.

Oversees the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) including serving as the advisor for the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research (SOAR), facilitates the Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Arts (URECA) grant cycles, coordinates events such as the Fall Open House, Scholars Week, and Posters at the Capitol, and organizes workshops offered by the URC. Facilitates the Faculty Research and Creative Activity Committee (FRCAC), ORSP communications, and the ORSP training program.

Provides operational and administrative support to ORSP programs, including Faculty Research and Creative Activity Committee (FRCAC), Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA), Grant Writing Enhancement Program (GEP), the Undergraduate Research Center (URC), ORSP training programs, and ORSP communications.

Moses Prabu, Ph.D.
Compliance Officer
(615) 494-8918
compliance@mtsu.edu

Responsible for specific components of research compliance including the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and Research Integrity; including, developing and implementing policies, procedures, programs, and educational activities which satisfy Federal, State, Local and institutional rules and regulations which govern proper conduct of research.

Proposal Development Staff

The Proposal Development and Pre Award Specialists are responsible for increasing faculty and staff research and sponsored programs by the development and delivery of training, partnership development, pre-proposal planning, and proposal development.

Samantha E. Cantrell, Ph.D.
Proposal Development Specialist
(615) 494-8751
samantha.cantrell@mtsu.edu
Assignment:
- College of Behavioral & Health Sciences - College of Media and Entertainment
- College of Business - University College
- College of Liberal Arts - Walker Library

Awards Management Staff

Our post-award staff provide dual control and administrative support to Principal Investigators/Project Directors to ensure timely and proper administration of externally-funded activity. The Award Management Specialists’ roles include initiating the set-up of new awards in Banner for finance and human resources functions, reviewing for approval of all financial personnel transactions requested on each assigned award, and conducting periodic comprehensive desk review/audit of each award

Sharon E. Scott, MBA
Grants Support Analyst
(615) 494-8720
Sharon.Scott@mtsu.edu
The duties of the Grants Support Analyst are to maintain and reconcile grant and match account budget expenditures; place orders and receive invoices; initiate cost transfers, salary redistributions, payment authorizations, travel claims and other types of forms as needed; maintain correspondence files and financial records; and serve as a resource to the Dean, PI’s and ORSP.