Grant coordinator supports researchers so they can focus on their discoveries

Laci Ulrich | Grant Coordinator | Life Span Institute

Research breakthroughs depend on more than ideas. They require careful coordination, financial oversight and ongoing support. Grant coordinators like Laci Ulrich provide this foundation by helping to manage funding, coordinate logistics and ensure projects run smoothly — enabling researchers to focus on making discoveries.

Ulrich works in KU’s Life Span Institute, a research center working to improve health, development and quality of life for individuals and communities in Kansas and beyond. Ulrich started her KU career in March 2004 as a grant specialist in the Office of Research and joined LSI as a grant specialist in April 2012. She was promoted to grant coordinator in 2015. 

“Laci consistently goes above and beyond in her support of both the LSI central office and the principal investigators she works with,” said Jennifer Holwick, associate director of finance & planning at LSI. “Laci is knowledgeable, dependable and always approachable.”

As a grant coordinator, Ulrich helps researchers use funding they receive from external agencies. This includes purchasing supplies, coordinating travel and paying invoices. Grant coordinators also help manage scholarships for graduate research assistants and ensure funded projects comply with policies and procedures.

"Laci has been more than willing to go the extra mile for my projects. Even though I know that my support of her time is relatively minimal, I have felt like she works with me 1.0 FTE and then some,” a faculty member wrote in one of Ulrich’s evaluations. “Laci has happily done cost comparisons, completed ‘rush’ tasks to get me materials faster than they could be shipped — and has even managed complicated returns when I made errors in ordering.

“In short, we could use more people like Laci at KU."

Colleagues note that Ulrich is collaborative in her work. She assists others when they are out of office or handling demanding projects. Ulrich also supervises and helps train new grant coordinators.

“She handles her responsibilities with professionalism and a positive attitude, making her a valued resource for everyone she supports,” Holwick said. “In addition to excelling in her own work, she is always willing to step in and help her coworkers when workloads become especially heavy.”