Directory
Kelley Terry
Director, Research Program Development & Grants
terrykl@auburn.edu
334.844.2299
Responsible Department:
- Engineering Administration (ADMIN)
Responsible Center:
- Applied Research Institute (ARI) – Huntsville
Samantha Allbrook
Program Administrator
allbrsl@auburn.edu
334.844.2216
Responsible Programs:
- Industry Design Experience for Auburn Engineering Students (IDEAS) Program
- NASA Program
Jeremiah Cronin
Manager, Research Program Development & Grants
jlcronin@auburn.edu
334.844.2212
Responsible Centers:
- Auburn Electronic Packaging Research Institute (AUEPRI)
- McCrary Institute (MCI)
Joy Chen
Contracts and Grants Specialist
chenhui@auburn.edu
334.844.2268
Responsible Departments:
- Aerospace Engineering (AE)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Responsible Center:
- Materials Research and Education Center (MREC)
Rachel Giambona
Contracts and Grants Specialist
rmg0078@auburn.edu
334.844.2300
Responsible Department:
- Chemical Engineering (ChE)
Responsible Centers:
- Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering (ACPBE)
- Center for Polymer and Advanced Composites (CPAC)
- Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing (CM3)
- National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME)
- National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT)
Autumn Palmer
Contracts and Grants Specialist
asp0085@auburn.edu
334.844.2297
Responsible Department:
- Civil Engineering (CE)
Responsible Centers:
- Auburn University Transportation Research Institute (AUTRI)
- Highway Research Center (HRC)
Kimberly Unick
Contracts and Grants Specialist
keu0003@auburn.edu
334.844.2321
Responsible Departments:
- Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
- Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)
Responsible Centers:
- Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center (AMSTC)
- Auburn University Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (AU-CAICE)
- Auburn Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center (MRI)
- Center for Occupational Safety, Ergonomics and Injury Prevention (OSEIP)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS)
- Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center (WREC)
Services
Proposal Preparation
Faculty members are responsible for developing the proposal and gathering supporting documentation following the sponsor’s requirements. All proposals and pre-proposals containing a budget must be reviewed and approved by ERAD before submitting to the sponsor.
Email your proposal draft—along with a completed copy of the Proposal Information Sheet to your assigned Contracts and Grants Specialist.
At minimum, the submission should include:
- A link to the funding solicitation or request for proposals (RFP)
- Statement of work (SOW) or a brief project summary
- Preliminary budget (use the 2025 Budget Template )
- Budget justification
Cost Share
Cost share reflects Auburn University’s financial commitment toward a sponsored project and must involve effort directly attributable to the project’s objectives. Faculty members should only be included in cost share commitments if they are actively participating in the project’s work. All project personnel should, as funding allows, have their effort appropriately allocated to the sponsor fund and cost share fund, ensuring a clear reflection of their contributions.
Faculty should not be listed as cost share solely to satisfy matching requirements. Exceptions to this guideline may apply when a sponsoring agency prohibits faculty effort from being charged to their funding source. All cost sharing commitments must be approved by the department head or center director and the Associate Dean for Research. See Auburn's Cost Sharing Policy for more.
Limited Submissions
If the RFP indicates the institution is limited in the number of proposals it can submit, please refer to AU's Limited Submission Policy .
Final Review & Submission
All required documents should be submitted to ERAD for final review at least three business days before the sponsor’s deadline . ERAD will review the materials, provide feedback as needed, and issue final approval.
Once the final proposal and the PI’s notice to submit are received, ERAD will either submit the proposal directly to the sponsor or return the approved proposal to the faculty member for submission, as appropriate.
Pre-Award Responsibilities
Subcontract vs. Consultant
Agreement Negotiation & Fund Management
Principal Investigators (PIs) may negotiate directly with the sponsors regarding the scope of work to be conducted.
However, PIs may not negotiate any other terms, nor are they authorized to sign agreements on behalf of the University.
For more information on agreement types, direct and indirect costs, and fund management, please refer to the AU PI Handbook .
Post-Award Responsibilities
