Research project manager goes ‘above and beyond’ for colleagues


A graphic shows a portrait of Christie Holland on the left and also on the right reads, Unsung Hero, Christie Holland, Institute for Policy & Social Research
 

Christie Holland | Research Project Manager | Institute for Policy & Social Research

Christie Holland currently manages 52 sponsored projects. Despite this enormous workload, the research project manager never misses a deadline.

“Christie is upbeat and pleasant to work with and an all-around great colleague,” said Carrie Caine, research development and administrative specialist for KU’s Institute for Policy & Social Research.

Holland is research project manager for IPSR, a role that requires organizing workshops, conferences and other events, as well as providing administrative support. They also help track IPSR funding, run reports, and maintain and plan the office’s current and future websites.

One of Holland’s projects requires a significant amount of ongoing work, including meeting weekly with the principal investigator and the team. Holland recently coordinated an in-person meeting with all project team members.

“This was quite a feat given that this project involves subawards across several different universities,” Caine said.

Holland serves on IPSR’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee and is a Safe Zone trainer and a 2017 KU Social Justice Fellow. And with the introduction of the new Award Management Services team at the Office of Research, Holland is taking on additional responsibilities.

“Christie has gone above and beyond to learn all the new systems and duties,” said Jena Gunter, associate director of IPSR. “Christie has truly been a lifesaver to me. They took on duties outside the scope of their work to better assist me and the Institute.”