WiSys has hired Gina Polito Jahn to enhance faculty, staff and student success in obtaining external funding for research and service activities at UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout and UW-Superior.
As WiSys’ new full-time research development associate, Jahn will work with each of these institutions’ offices of sponsored programs to support faculty and staff by:
- Exploring and refining project ideas.
- Identifying appropriate sources of funding.
- Assisting with proposal preparation.
- Sharing best practices in grant seeking.
“Gina brings a wealth of experience in the field of research development that adds to the expert staff at WiSys,” said WiSys President Arjun Sanga. “By sharing resources, Gina’s expertise will be available to support multiple UW Regional campus faculty in competitively seeking funding for their research programs.”
Jahn’s expertise ranges from finding funding opportunities and reviewing proposal elements to facilitating collaborations and providing professional development related to grant seeking. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education including nine years in research administration at Northern Illinois University, and 12 years as a biology and environmental science instructor at Rock Valley College.
She received a B.S in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a M.S. in Education and a M.S. in Biological Sciences, both from Northern Illinois University.
Jahn started at WiSys on March 1. You can contact her at [email protected].
The hiring increases WiSys' commitment to research development services, which it began offering through its Pre-Award Program (PreP) in 2018. In spring 2021, these services were expanded and formalized as WiSys Research Development.
WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries, and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.