Meet Epi’s New Post-Award Grants Manager

The Department of Epidemiology is pleased to welcome Corinne O’Connor as our new Post-Award Grants Manager. Working closely with principal investigators, sponsor agencies, research partners, and University research support offices, Corinne plays a key behind-the-scenes role in ensuring sponsored research awards are managed smoothly, compliantly, and efficiently from start to finish.

On a day-to-day basis, Corinne supports faculty throughout the life of their grants—helping budgets stay on track, translating sponsor and University requirements, and serving as an intermediary between research teams and central offices. While she’s available to faculty and staff every workday, faculty can expect to connect with her regularly through monthly dashboard meetings as part of ongoing post-award oversight.

Corinne brings more than a decade of post-award experience from an R1 institution, along with a Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA) credential. This certification reflects extensive training in research administration, ongoing continuing education, and a commitment to staying current on post-award regulations and best practices. Her focus is on making the complex mechanics of grant management work seamlessly—so PIs can focus on their research, confident that compliance requirements are being met.

The easiest way to reach Corinne is by email or Microsoft Teams, and she encourages faculty and staff to reach out with questions at any point in the grant cycle.

Outside of work, Corinne’s life is anything but quiet. She enjoys unwinding by spending time with her many animals—including dogs, pigs, cats, and ducks—and loves to travel, aiming for at least one major trip each year, along with regular visits to San Diego to see her parents.

If she could instantly become an expert in any epidemiologic research area, Corinne says she would choose cancer in women and inequalities in care—a reflection of her interest in research that addresses both health outcomes and equity.

We’re excited to have Corinne on the Epi team and look forward to the support she’ll provide to our research community!