The Grant Strategist will specialize in supporting faculty within the medical school by assisting in developing grant proposals through all stages of their conceptual development. The Grant Strategist will cultivate relationships with University centers and resources and faculty, learning of their research programs and areas of expertise, to be able to make recommendations that improve the execution and feasibility of a proposal’s study design, and more importantly, enable collaboration and convergent research, to strengthen BU’s research enterprise. Convergent research integrates diverse fields—from, and not limited to, the sciences, engineering, and medicine to public policy and business—to address scientific questions and help solve complex societal challenges. This role also will help faculty articulate their research ideas, hypotheses, and methodologies clearly and compellingly, as well as provide suggestions for substantive improvements to proposals for grammar, readability, consistency, structure, coherence, and alignment with the mission of the funding program. The competent candidate is self-motivated and action-oriented, as the candidate will have opportunities to refine, create, or pilot programs that accelerate the proposal development and writing process for faculty. Depending on the candidate’s qualifications and career aspirations, this role may be classified as either a staff or faculty position.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Connect faculty with other faculty and University resources to enhance project impact and success.  Collaborate with faculty to develop and refine the narrative of research proposals, to strengthen the scientific arguments and the overall impact of the proposal.  Analyze feedback from peer reviewers or funding agencies and assist in revising and resubmitting proposals as necessary.  Coordinate with other Proposal Development team members (e.g., budget analysts, grant coordinators) to ensure that the proposal and study design are aligned and well-integrated with the budget and compliance documentation, to enhance its feasibility and chances of project success.  Facilitate workshops focused on scientific writing and grant proposal strategies to support faculty development.