In the competitive world of academic research, early career faculty often face a daunting challenge: navigating the complexities of grant writing and securing external funding. At the University of Georgia, the Grant Development Program (GDP)—offered through the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR)—has been equipping faculty with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to meet that challenge head-on for more than three decades.

What began as an informal mentoring initiative has evolved into a nationally emulated, comprehensive training program designed to support both early and mid-career scholars in the social and behavioral sciences. The GDP focuses on the full lifecycle of grant development—from refining research ideas to submitting competitive proposals to major funding agencies such as the NIH, NSF, and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Lillian Eby, past Director (2013-2022) of OIBR, led a pivotal transformation of the program, transitioning it from a one-on-one mentoring model to a cohort-based experience. “We focused on providing targeted didactic learning about specific granting agencies,” Eby recalls. “We also started a ‘grant pitch’ process, where participants could refine their ideas through peer and senior faculty feedback early in the program.”

This structured approach has proven to be a game changer. Participants learn to think strategically about grant funding, develop strong writing habits, and engage in hands-on activities such as mock review panels and pitch sessions. They also benefit from cross-disciplinary networking and lasting mentorship.

The Power of Impactful Mentorship

Past participants describe the program as “transformative,” “invaluable,” and “career-defining.” Dr. Grace Ahn credits the GDP with helping her turn a $25,000 pilot project into a $3.3 million NIH R01 grant. “The program provided much more concrete, hands-on guidance than anything I had received before,” she shared. “What was truly helpful was being mentored by people who not only were incredibly successful but also genuinely cared.”

Dr. Assaf Oshri echoes that sentiment, calling the GDP “instrumental in helping me secure external funding.” For many, the mentoring relationships extend beyond the program’s official timeline, providing ongoing guidance and encouragement throughout their careers.

“The program helped me move from feeling intimidated by the grant process to feeling confident about pursuing funding,” said Dr. Rebecca Nesbit.

Dr. David Okech added, “The GDP was one of the best investments of my academic career and was instrumental in helping me understand the difference between the science and the art of writing grants.”

Collaboration Across Campus

One of the program’s greatest assets is its ability to build connections across disciplines. Dr. Jennifer Gay credits the GDP with introducing her to a collaborator with whom she has since co-authored papers, presented at international conferences, and trained multiple students. “That’s quite the impact,” she said, “given that it wasn’t even the main goal of the program!”

Similarly, Dr. Jeong-Yeob Han emphasized how the program provided networking opportunities that led to collaborations he wouldn’t have found otherwise. “Connecting with distinguished scholars and potential research partners helped shape initial grant proposals and opened doors for future projects.”

Legacy and Evolution

The Grant Development Program is deeply rooted in OIBR’s longstanding mission to enhance the research capacity of social and behavioral scientists at UGA. Dr. Steven Beach, who served as director from 2003 to 2013, reflects on those early days: “I like to think I was the first beneficiary of the mentoring program—before there even was one—because Dr. Abe Tesser (second OIBR director) mentored me when I first arrived at UGA in the late eighties.” He added, “The program has always focused on having a meaningful impact on junior faculty and enhancing their potential for funding. It was ahead of its time—and now, it’s being replicated at other institutions.”

That lasting relevance is a testament to the program’s careful design and adaptability. Dr. Steve Kogan, a longtime mentor and first OIBR Director of Faculty Development, reflected on the structural changes introduced alongside Eby to accommodate a broader range of scholars from departments like Communication Studies and Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics.

Dr. Dawn Robinson, Professor of Sociology, has presented information about the Department of Defense to GDP participants since 2016 and became OIBR’s Director of Faculty Development in 2022. She now leads the program, continuing to expand its reach and impact by drawing on her expertise and long-standing commitment to mentoring and faculty success.

Current director of the Owens Institute, Dr. Jody Clay-Warner, shared, “I have been involved in the GDP in one way or another almost as long as I’ve been a faculty member. I participated in the program when I was an assistant professor, served several times as a GDP mentor, and sat on multiple mock reviews and grant pitch panels. Now, as OIBR Director, I get to help shape the program and view first-hand its impact on program participants, knowing that current participants will soon be giving back to the program, continuing the cycle of service that has made the GDP so successful.”

Since formal mentoring began in 1990, a total of 178 faculty members have participated in the OIBR mentoring program—further underscoring its longstanding impact and value to the UGA research community.

Looking Forward

Today, the Grant Development Program continues to thrive, with each cohort building on the successes of the last. Participants leave not only with grant writing skills but also with a sense of belonging to a vibrant research community.

With more than 30 years of influence, the GDP continues to serve as a foundational part of UGA’s social and behavioral science research landscape— advancing research, fostering collaboration, and supporting professional growth.

Written by Andrea Horsman

The University of Georgia (UGA) is home to a large and robust group of biology education researchers (BER). Collectively, this group has a long and strong record of training postdoctoral fellows who go on to pursue a variety of careers, including research and teaching intensive positions in higher education, positions in faculty professional development, and others. One of the reasons for the success is the diverse and collaborative environment in the social and behavioral sciences. Many faculty at UGA with research programs in biology education have ongoing collaborations with faculty in educational psychology, psychology, science education, higher education, and other disciplines.

A team co-led by Dr. Erin Dolan, an OIBR distinguished scholar, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education, and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Dr. Logan Fiorella, also an OIBR distinguished scholar and associate professor of educational psychology, is fostering a new generation of BER through an exciting initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

This project, titled “Preparing the Next Generation of Biology Education Researchers through Interdisciplinary Co-mentorship and Evidence-based Professional Development,” tackles a crucial challenge in the field of BER. Traditionally, BER research has been criticized for being isolated from other disciplines, limiting its impact, and hindering the development of robust theories on teaching and learning biology.

“Given the rich scholarly and training environment at UGA, and our collective networks and collaborations, we thought we could put together and facilitate a rigorous and supportive postdoctoral training program that was focused on cross-disciplinary research in biology education,” said Dr. Dolan.
She explains, “Imagine studying how students make decisions about careers in the life sciences or how students learn to solve life science problems without considering the science of motivation or problem-solving. That’s the kind of isolation we’re aiming to bridge.”

This new program directly addresses this issue. Biology education research investigates teaching and learning in life science fields by combining the priorities, worldviews, knowledge, and practices of biology with the research methods, tools, approaches, and theory from the social sciences. By leveraging UGA’s wealth of BER faculty and experts in social and behavioral sciences, the project will train postdoctoral fellows in a truly interdisciplinary environment.

Why is this important?
BER plays a vital role in improving how biology is taught and learned. It investigates how students develop as life scientists and come to understand life science concepts and their applications and implications. But without a strong foundation in other disciplines like psychology and education, BER research can struggle to build a comprehensive picture.

This research project aims to change that. Postdocs in the program will be co-mentored by BER faculty and researchers from other relevant fields. This unique approach will equip them with the tools and perspectives to conduct more impactful and theoretically grounded BER research.

Collaboration is Key
Dr. Dolan highlights a particularly rewarding aspect of the project: the collaborative spirit among faculty. “It has been such a pleasure to work with the faculty involved in the project,” she says. “Everyone is coming to the project with an open mind, generative spirit, and collegial ethos.”
This collaboration extends beyond the faculty. The project prioritizes equity and inclusion in its recruitment process. Potential applicants can participate in virtual office hours and submit “curiosity statements” instead of traditional research statements. This approach focuses on aligning applicants’ interests with the program’s goals, fostering a diverse and dynamic learning environment for the incoming postdocs. Dr. Dolan stated, “Applicants are responding very favorably to these elements,” pointing out “that it is one of the reasons they were attracted to apply to the program.”

The Road Ahead
The project is funded for three years, with postdocs receiving two-year appointments. While future funding from the NSF is uncertain, the potential for expansion is exciting. Dr. Dolan envisions recruiting additional cohorts in the coming years, allowing the program to continue its mission of building a new generation of well-rounded BER researchers.
This initiative promises to revolutionize BER by fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach. By training the next generation of researchers to think outside the box, the program paves the way for a brighter future in biology education, ultimately benefiting students and the field.

Written by: Andrea Horsman

In a groundbreaking initiative, OIBR Affiliate Dr. Laura German recently received funding for the FIRE-PLAN project, titled “ITEST-FIRE: Convergent Pyroscapes.” She has been awarded a grant of $196,799 from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Research on Learning (NSF-DRL). This project is set to catalyze innovative and inclusive wildland fire science and education in Western North Carolina in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), addressing critical issues in forest management and STEM representation. 

Project Origins and Timeline 

The planning for the Convergent Pyroscapes project commenced in October 2022 in response to the NSF call for “Planning Proposals to Catalyze Innovative and Inclusive Wildland Fire Science through Diverse Collaborations.” However, its roots trace back to 2019, marked by collaborations with the Natural Resources Department of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI NRD) within the context of the Integrative Conservation Practicum, a graduate course in the Integrative Conservation (ICON) program, taught by Dr. German. This partnership, focusing on the role of fire in meeting Tribal forestry goals, helped to lay the conceptual and partnership groundwork for a comprehensive project that would address complex challenges in the eastern forests. 

The planning grant, spanning from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, will provide the necessary funding for trust-building and collaborative planning to identify key priorities for Phase 2 proposals focused on blending Indigenous and Western knowledge and technology for prescribed fire modeling and management, and Native STEM education. 

Addressing the Urgency: Why FIRE-PLAN Maters 

One of the key motivations behind the convergent pyroscapes project is the significant underrepresentation of Native people in STEM fields. This imbalance not only raises equity concerns but also diminishes the invaluable contribution of Native worldviews and technologies to prescribed fire and land management. The consequences are stark, with increasingly severe wildland fires and the loss of fire-adapted forest communities and related ecosystem services. 

With vast forest landscapes approaching a tipping point beyond which fire-adapted forest ecosystems will rapidly shift to less desirable states unless fire is reintroduced as a key management tool at scale, the need to increase the application of managed fire has never been greater. Indigenous-led fire stewardship is recognized as a potential solution, but it faces challenges. Conceptual blinders within fire science, management, and education, coupled with shifts in forest conditions under federal management and barriers to STEM education among Native youth, hinder progress. The project aims to identify and break down these barriers by fostering a partnership between the EBCI, Native STEM educators, the University of Georgia, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and TERC, a STEM education research organization. 

Innovative Approach: Converging Native and Western Knowledge 

Convergent Pyroscapes adopts an innovative approach to knowledge convergence, integrating Native fire knowledge, technologies, and aspirations into STEM education and prescribed fire science and management. Indigenous-led workshops and collaborative co-designed methodologies will be employed to broaden partnerships, share foundational knowledge, and co-develop robust plans for one or more Phase 2 proposals. 

The project’s ultimate goals are ambitious: to reveal and dismantle conceptual blinders in Western fire science, generate innovative and inclusive fire science advances, and enhance the participation of Native youth in forestry and natural resource careers through convergent STEM curricula. 

Surprises and Challenges: Insights from the Researcher 

The deep influence of conceptual blinders linked to the history of settler colonialism has been a surprising revelation in this evolving partnership. From redefining “natural” forests as cultural landscapes to recognizing fire as a keystone ecological process, the project challenges long-rooted assumptions and the false guardrails they engender that constrain the application of fire. The hoops that Tribes still must go through to use fire on landscapes adapted to regular burning over millennia highlight the complexity of the issue. 

According to Dr. German, the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of the research is navigating partnerships with Tribal Nations, given the historical mistrust with research. Approaching the partnership with humility, a recognition of Tribal sovereignty, and a willingness to learn from those who have stewarded the lands for millennia hold the key to repairing relations with Tribal nations. In partnership with federal land management agencies, such orientations hold the potential to heal landscapes, communities, and relations and usher in greater resilience in the face of a warming climate. 

Inspirations and Collaborations: People Behind the Project 

Dr. German says she has benefited greatly from the contribution of natural scientists willing to interrogate their craft, learn together, and challenge both her and conventional scientific approaches. Additionally, the words and work of Indigenous scholars, poets, and activists have significantly influenced her, “shifting the ground” she walks on by reshaping her understanding of the Indigenous experience and allowing her to question fundamental assumptions about reality. 

Future Aspirations: Charting a Course for the Next Five Years 

The Convergent Pyroscapes project is an exciting effort to test novel paradigms for knowledge production and convergence, yet its ideas and approaches need to be tested in practice. As such, Dr. German envisions using this as a pilot experience, learning from successes and failures and drawing on those to set more ambitious goals in terms of effectiveness and reach. Ultimately, the goal is to make an impact on forests and Native self-determination in land management through novel approaches to “wildland” fire science and management. 

In conclusion, the Convergent Pyroscapes project is well-positioned to produce innovations in fire science, blending Indigenous and Western science and technology to tackle pressing issues in wildland fire science and education. With a robust partnership and an innovative approach, the project holds the promise of reshaping the narrative around fire management and fostering inclusivity in STEM fields. 

For more information about this research project, contact Principal Investigator, Dr. Laura German, UGA Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research, or Co-PI Dr. Elizabeth King, UGA Associate Professor with the Odom School of Ecology. 

Author: Andrea Horsman 

Dr. Catherine Walker O’Neal is an assistant professor in Human Development and Family Science at the University of Georgia and principal investigator on a recent grant project titled “A Proposal to Measure the Effectiveness of Financial Literacy Efforts Across the DoD,” funded by the USAA Educational Foundation (USAAEF) in the amount of $600,000 over an 18-month timeline.

This project journey began when Dr. O’Neal’s research team was approached by the USAAEF and was asked to submit a proposal. This was a testament to her reputation for evaluating financial family life education programs for the Department of the Air Force. After months of rigorous proposal writing and interviews with stakeholders, her team emerged victorious in securing this competitive grant.

Through this project, Dr. O’Neal has two exciting opportunities to make an impact with her translational research. Firstly, it aids the Department of Defense in aligning financial literacy training with scholarly research, incorporating an understanding of contextual factors that are crucial to military families’ financial well-being. Secondly, it addresses the DoD’s need for evidence-based solutions to measure financial well-being, especially concerning financial literacy training. The goal is to positively impact the nearly 3.5 million total force personnel and their families.

The time and labor involved in applied research such as this demands substantial effort. It involves collaborating with policymakers and professionals to understand their needs and employing rigorous research methods. Despite the challenges, O’Neal finds fulfillment in contributing to positive changes in policy or programming for military families.

Challenges aside, the most rewarding aspect of her various translational research projects has been that she has consistently worked with stakeholders who see the merit of developing policies and programs that are research-based. “I appreciate their excitement and receptiveness for how research can inform their work. In particular, the most rewarding experience is to see our work contribute to positive changes in policy or programming for families,” shared Dr. O’Neal.

When asked about her influences in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), O’Neal credits Dr. David Wright as an influential mentor and friend. His undergraduate course on the development of interpersonal relationships helped develop her own philosophy and passion for social science from a relational lens. This highlights the profound impact educators can have on shaping the future of aspiring researchers.

Dr. O’Neal acknowledges the collaborative nature of her research, highlighting the significant contributions of mentors and colleagues like Dr. K.A.S. Wickrama, Dr. Jay Mancini, and Dr. Mallory Lucier-Greer. Collaborative efforts, she emphasizes, make the research journey more enjoyable.
Her personal research philosophy prioritizes examinations with a context-rich family systems perspective. O’Neal emphasizes understanding the perceptions of multiple family members and how they are affected by changes within and beyond the family system.

The work of Dr. O’Neal’s research team extends beyond the immediate project, contributing to a broader understanding of military family life, resilience, and the implications of financial stress on well-being.
Looking ahead, her team is excited about a new study collecting longitudinal data from couples with school-aged children. This study will provide fresh insights into military family well-being, expanding the scope of existing research that typically focuses on very young children or adolescents and considering numerous facets of well-being, including mental health, physical health, relational health, and financial health.

Dr. O’Neal envisions continued growth in her research, driven by a passion for understanding and improving the well-being of military families. Her future research projects promise to contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse on family life, resilience, and financial well-being within the military community.

Author: Andrea Horsman

In the world of developmental psychology, Dr. Drew Abney, an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia and principal investigator, secured a significant grant from the National Science Foundation’s Developmental Sciences division, totaling an impressive $694,828. The project, titled “The Temporal Structure of Infants’ Everyday Behaviors,” is set to unfold over the next three years, offering a glimpse into the nuanced world of infant development.

Dr. Abney’s journey into this fascinating project began during his graduate school years, when he started learning more about how the field of complex networks was innovating analytic tools inspired by statistical mechanics to quantify the temporal structure of diverse phenomena, from how earthquakes unfold over space and time to how our email exchanges are structured across multiple timescales. He started thinking about how this statistical structure that is so pervasive in our world might impact and constrain how humans develop and learn. As he started applying these analytic tools to rich datasets of human interactions and language environments, he realized that these tools might help uncover new insights into human development. These methods have laid the foundation for the research he currently spearheads.

At the heart of this research project lies a novel approach to understanding how infants learn language and the vital role it plays in their development. While traditional studies focused on the quantity and quality of language input, Dr. Abney’s approach goes further by examining the temporal structure of language and other behaviors in infants’ social interactions. The key question guiding the research is, “What is the temporal structure of how language unfolds in social interactions of infants and young children?” To answer this, Dr. Abney’s team has compiled over 400 hours of video recordings capturing infants’ interactions with their caregivers in the comfort of their homes.

“We seek to understand and capture how behaviors such as vocalizations and other social behaviors unfold over time and determine whether that temporal structure is important for language development,” explained Dr. Abney. This innovative perspective has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of language development in infants, providing profound insights into the complexities of human behavior.

Collaborations and interactions with fellow researchers have played a pivotal role in shaping Dr. Abney’s research path. Overcoming challenges imposed by the pandemic, his affiliation with OIBR, and completion of the OIBR Grant Development Program provided essential connections. “In 2021, I was awarded a seed grant award from OIBR to start a project with Drs. Cindy Suveg (Psychology) and Geoffrey Brown (HDFS). Since then, we have been able to do some great research that is translating into thesis projects, manuscripts, and developing NIH proposal ideas,” he remarked.

Dr. Abney’s commitment to team science is evident in his philosophy, which emphasizes collaboration and teamwork as indispensable in studying human development. He believes that a social context is inherent in scientific practice, and fostering transparency, kindness, grace, and respect is crucial for success.

As Dr. Abney envisions the future of his research, “I see my research going deeper into understanding how the properties of infant sleep directly impact other facets of human development by collecting and curating large, multimodal datasets of infants’ behaviors outside of the lab environment and in real-world contexts,” he explained.

In conclusion, Dr. Drew Abney’s research project stands as a testament to the ever-evolving landscape of developmental psychology. With innovative approaches and support from organizations like the NSF and OIBR, his work promises to unravel the complexities of infant language development, contributing significantly to our understanding of human behavior. As he continues to advance alongside his committed team of researchers, the future presents promising opportunities for the field of developmental psychology.

For those who would like more information about this groundbreaking research, Dr. Abney’s lab offers a dedicated website, “The Developmental Dynamics Lab“, providing additional information and updates on the project.

Author: Andrea Horsman

In the competitive world of scientific research, the quest for funding is an integral part of driving groundbreaking discoveries forward. We sat down with Dr. Michelle vanDellen, a professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia, to explore her journey, research project, and the essential role of grant funding. Her newly awarded project, titled “Randomized Controlled Trial of Dyadic Financial Incentive Treatment for Dual Smoker Couples: Evaluation of Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Cost Effectiveness,” is supported by a $2,920,773 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the National Cancer Institute.

Theory Meets Applied Problem

It all began on Michelle’s first day at the University of Georgia in 2013, where she had the privilege of meeting her mentor, James Mackillop, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University and co-investigator on this grant. She recalls her initial aversion to studying smoking but found herself slowly drawn into the fascinating realm of relationships, addiction, and human behavior.
As she delved deeper into the complexities of human behavior within the context of close relationships, Michelle realized that getting both members of a smoking couple to quit was a puzzle that perfectly aligned with her growing expertise in how people pursue goals and make health behavior changes when their partners are involved. This accidental alignment of her theoretical interests with a pressing real-world problem set the stage for her research.

The Crucial Project: Dual-Smoker Couples

Smoking cigarettes remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, disproportionately affecting lower socioeconomic groups. Smokers often have romantic partners, and these partners are frequently smokers themselves. When both members of a couple smoke, they face reduced motivation and ability to quit. Professor vanDellen’s project aims to harness the power of relationships, turning them from an obstacle into an advantage.
Her innovative approach seeks to understand the dynamics within dual-smoker couples, with the goal of designing effective interventions to help them quit smoking. By exploring the intricate balance of motivation and mutual influence in these relationships, her research could provide a novel approach to tackle this major public health issue.

The Role of OIBR in the Journey

The Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR) at UGA played a pivotal role in Michelle’s journey. She emphasizes that her involvement with OIBR was critical from the outset, starting with the grant development program, where she gained insights into the complexities of dual-smoker couples. Through mentorship from individuals like Steven Beach, Regents Professor of Psychology, and James MacKillop, she received the guidance and support necessary to shape her research program. “These mentors have continued alongside me – letting me develop my own voice and research program and showing me how to connect that program to funding opportunities. They have been extraordinary developers of my confidence and skills.”

OIBR also provided two sources of funding for Michelle. The first was through the GDP program, enabling her to take the initial steps in recruiting smoking couples and gaining a deep understanding of the logistics involved in conducting research. When her RO1 grant submission was scored but unfunded, and UGA’s grants-on-the-edge program declined to support her, that’s when OIBR’s seed grant program came to the rescue. This funding allowed her to implement her targeted intervention with 13 couples, which served as pilot data for an R21 grant. With OIBR’s consistent support and connections, Michelle’s journey in securing funding has been both productive and enlightening.

Surprises and Challenges

Looking back, Michelle recalls her surprise by the prevalence of smoking in society. Growing up in an environment where she seldom encountered smokers, she gained a newfound perspective on the significance of substance use and its impact on individuals. This shift in perception encouraged her to delve deeper into her research, addressing the challenges that smokers face in breaking free from addiction.

Yet, with rewards come challenges. Professor vanDellen found the slow-paced nature of behavior change in her research to be a significant challenge. As someone inclined to problem-solve quickly, she had to adapt to the slow-moving process involved in altering addictive behaviors. However, the heartwarming testimonials from participants who managed to quit smoking because of her research have been a deeply rewarding experience. “These unsolicited comments-sometimes well after the end of their participation-remind me that research matters all throughout the process, not just at the publication of results, ” Dr. vanDellen said proudly.

Inspiration of Mentors, Peers, and Students

When asked about those who influenced her decision to work in psychology, Professor vanDellen emphasized the continuous inspiration she gets from her mentors, peers, and students. In her daily interactions, she is constantly exposed to fresh perspectives and questions that motivate her to explore new horizons within the field of psychology. Her passion for understanding people has evolved into a mission to help them, as she recognizes the significant impact her research has on people’s lives.

A Bright Future for Social Psychology

“Social psychologists often wonder if they can find a funding home in NIH and my experiences have told me that—while yes, it’s hard, it’s also possible and extremely important for us to be involved,” Michelle said. Looking ahead, she aims to use her current research project to not only tackle real-world problems but also to train the next generation of social psychologists. She firmly believes that social psychologists can play a vital role in addressing complex issues like addiction, offering innovative perspectives and fresh solutions.

The Bigger Picture

In addition to contributing to the understanding of smoking addiction and relationship dynamics, Michelle’s work promises to expand our knowledge of human motivation within social relationships. Her research is poised to provide new pathways to successful goal achievement, ultimately contributing to the well-being of individuals as they work towards happier, healthier lives.

Author: Andrea Horsman