The Pre-Award Research Operations (PRO) team provides efficient, friendly, and professional proposal development and support services to Architecture Art and Planning, Bowers Computing and Information Sciences, Brooks School of Public Policy, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering,  Cornell Law School, Cornell Tech, CLASSE, and LASSP.

PRO's purpose is to reduce the administrative burden of proposal preparation so that researchers can focus on the technical or scientific components of their proposals, thereby increasing the chances of success.

Our Services

  • Review and interpret sponsor solicitations for proposals
  • Prepare summaries of required proposal documents and templates of common proposal elements
  • Draft Current & Pending/Other Support documents
  • Develop budgets, including detailed financial budget and narrative justification
  • Prepare and assemble proposal packages, including completion of electronic applications
  • Interface with internal and external collaborators to collect required documents (CV's, letters of support, subaward documents, etc.)
  • Initiate RASS project record and route for approval
  • Liaise and collaborate with the assigned Grant & Contract Officer through the successful submission of the application for funding
  • Support revised budget requests, NIH Just-In-Time submissions, incoming sponsored award transfers, and complex research center proposals
  • Identify and disseminate funding opportunities to supported faculty

Image: Headphones iconReceiving Support

Our team is available to assist you Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.

Researchers are invited to send proposal notifications to the PRO team by completing a short Proposal Notification form. A Pre-Award Specialist/Grant Coordinator will be assigned to the proposal within one business day and will follow up with the researcher and the researcher's department to provide proposal specific guidance and support.

Other requests for support or inquires can be directed to the PRO Team Inbox, [email protected].

Our Team & Assignments:

Leadership and Administrators
Su Ghosh

Su Ghosh
Associate Director
[email protected]
607-255-6604

Shannon Finnerty-Pelto

Shannon Finnerty-Pelto
Team Lead: Engineering
[email protected]
(607) 254-3262

Samantha Grace

Samantha Grace
Team Lead: Non-Engineering
[email protected]
(607) 255-2528

Cindy VandeWall

Cindy VandeWall
Pre-Award Assistant
[email protected]
(607) 255-6038

Michael Doll

Michael Doll
Pre-Award Assistant
[email protected]
(607) 255-1802

College of Engineering Units
Non-Engineering Units
Alan Chen

Alan Chen
Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-1883
Engineering (MAE)

Vince Dieffenbaugher

Vince Dieffenbaugher
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-9985
(CAS)

Nicole Francik

Nicole Francik
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 254-5622
Engineering (ECE)

Nicholas Evanoski

Nicholas Evanoski
Senior Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-2543
(TBD)

Danielle Lethbridge

Danielle Lethbridge
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-8218
Engineering (MSE)

Amy Jackson

Amy Jackson
Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-8326
(Cornell Tech)

Giselle Maira

Giselle Maira
Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-1238
Engineering (EAS / ORIE)

Mindy McGill-Carlison

Mindy McGill-Carlison
Senior Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-2942
(AAP / CLASSE)

Roger Miller

Roger Miller
Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-4252
Engineering (BME)

Azra Omanovic

Azra Omanovic
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-6200
(TBD)

Olivia Ohlsten

Olivia Ohlsten
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 254-5622
Engineering (BME)

Ryan Ossit

Ryan Ossit 
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-5970
(TBD)

Elissa Palmer

Elissa Palmer
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-5938
Engineering (CBE)

Jamie Lynn Slusser

Jamie Lynn Slusser
Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 254-2111
(Cornell Tech)

Matthew Robinson

Matthew Robinson
Senior Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-9355
Engineering (MAE)

Allessandra Spada

Allessandra "Allie" Spada 
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-6322
(TBD)

Robin Tropper-Herbel

Robin Tropper-Herbel
Grant Coordinator
[email protected]
(607) 255-0553
Engineering (AEP)

Ryan Vann

Ryan Vann 
Senior Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-4773
(Law / R&I)

Edgar VanScoy

Edgar VanScoy
Senior Pre-Award Specialist
[email protected]
(607) 255-4692
Engineering (CEE)