Contact

E: gmlawren@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.6010

Dr. Genevieve Garland leads research development, research infrastructure, strategic planning, operations and interdisciplinary research services for faculty teams as well as the development of research-focused education and training programs. She is also responsible for promoting NC State’s activity and reputation in research and innovation. Dr. Garland has 20 years of experience within the research enterprise at NC State. She has more than 15 years of experience in building strategic partnerships in her current role, as a Partnership Developer for NC State and as the Director of Partnership and Market Intelligence for the Nonwovens Institute.

E: nwlynch2@ncsu.edu

As the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Infrastructure, Dr. Nadine Wong oversees all official NC State Centers and Institutes; manages limited-submission funding opportunities on behalf of NC State, as well as ORI’s seed funding programs; and administers the university’s Shared Core Research Facilities.

Nadine joined NC State in 2025 after being part of the research development, commercialization and innovation ecosystems at Duke University and the University of Michigan.

She is a member of the University of Michigan Society of Fellows and is a graduate of Stanford University and Whittier College.

E: slhenry@ncsu.edu

As the Centers and Institutes Specialist, Rita facilitates various aspects of planning and establishing new centers, institutes and industrial consortia to support research.  She also assists with the management of existing Centers and Institutes.

Prior to joining ORI, she served as a Pre-Award Consultant for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences where she assisted principal investigators in the preparation of proposals submitted to federal and industry partners.  She was responsible for reviewing and submitting membership and core research agreements for centers and consortia.

Rita earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Fayetteville State University.  Away from work, she enjoys spending time with her family, writing, and theatre.

E: jhalble@ncsu.edu, P: 919-513-3955

As the Research Planning Manager for the Research Development Office, Jennifer oversees the managing of the limited submission process, assists research faculty by publishing external and internal funding opportunities via the funding newsletter and special announcements and manages ORI’s internal seed-funding programs.

Jennifer earned a BS in Medical Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and worked as a research associate in the UW School of Medicine & Public Health.  Before joining Research Development she worked for Research Operations and Communications. 

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her four kids, hiking and traveling. 

E: mpzareba@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.7327

Mariusz Zareba received his Ph.D. from Jagiellonian University in 1999, where he researched the role of neuromelanin in etiology of Parkinson’s disease.

In the mid-2000s, he joined the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he started to use advanced microscopic techniques, such as live-cell imaging, to study the role of melanosomes in Retinal Pigment Epithelium. He joined Dr. Eva Johannes in CMIF in October 2017.

E: kafridey@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.2012

Kelly received her BS in Marine Biology from UNC Wilmington and MS in Marine Biology with a concentration in Genomics from the College of Charleston. 

She joined the GSL as a Research Specialist in 2015, and became Assistant Director with the opening of the Plant Genotyping Facility in the Plant Sciences Building in 2022. She now leads the GSL as Interim Director with a mission to provide NC State researchers, collaborators, and the broader scientific community with access to high-throughput Next Generation Sequencing, traditional Sanger sequencing and genotyping, and additional support services. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her three children and taking walks on the greenway.

E: jjbaryck@ncsu.edu, P:  919.513.0698

Joe received his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in 1997. His areas of expertise include enzyme assay development, protein production, macromolecular crystallography, biophysical methods of measuring protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions.

E: pradip_pramanik@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.0170

As a member of the senior leadership in the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), Pradip Pramanik serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Proposal Development in the Office of Research Development and Operations (ORDO).

As Assistant Vice Chancellor, he provides leadership in advancing NC State’s research enterprise by proactively identifying and engaging appropriate faculty in strategic discussions related to research strengths, institutional resources, and funding opportunities; facilitating project-specific teams and interdisciplinary faculty affinity groups related to the research priority areas of NC State; engaging in cooperative project conception with both internal and external stakeholders; seeking out opportunities for faculty from NC State and elsewhere to collaborate in response to existing and upcoming large/strategic opportunities; assisting in the formulation of strategic priorities for ORI and ORDO, consistent with the broader university strategic planning framework; supervising the PDU staff to promote excellence in PDU-assisted proposals; and ensuring that the PDU strategies are effectively integrated with the goals of the university, ORI, and ORDO.

E: mwhooker@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.0141

Matt serves as an Assistant Director in the PDU, where he supports faculty teams in the preparation of research and training grant proposals in engineering and the physical sciences. His prior experience includes working at two privately held businesses and the NASA-Langley Research Center. During that time he served as PI for several projects involving the development of advanced materials for energy, defense, and aerospace applications. His work resulted in ~40 publications and 1 patent.

He earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Ceramic Engineering from Clemson University and has completed professional development training in Leadership, Project Management, and Proposal Development. Away from work he enjoys traveling, photography, running, and cycling.

E: crmonroe@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.0163

As a Senior Proposal Developer, Carla assists teams with crafting interdisciplinary proposals for external funding. Carla joined the PDU from the NC State University College of Sciences. She has experience working with both public and private funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Duke Energy.

She received her B.A. from Meredith College and earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Emory University. During her career, she has published over 30 scholarly works and received a Spencer Foundation grant. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, sports, and art. Achieving fluency in other languages is one of her life goals.

E: epcrowley@ncsu.edu, P: 919.515.7585

As a Senior Proposal Developer, Patrick’s daily responsibilities involve helping faculty prepare interdisciplinary proposals to federal and state agencies and private foundations. Before joining the PDU in 2013, Patrick worked as an Instructor at the University of South Carolina.  

He received a B.S. in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University and a M.S. in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina. Outside of work, Patrick enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, fishing, and going to the beach.

E: msfrick@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.8867

As a Senior Proposal Developer, Michelle helps faculty teams develop multidisciplinary proposals in the areas of life sciences, health, and agriculture. She also has special portfolio responsibilities for supporting proposals coming out of NC State’s Plant Sciences Initiative. 
Prior to joining the PDU, she spent several years working with the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, where she worked with legal staff to write and edit publications on legislation that affected law enforcement, as well as to coordinate meetings and events. She also spent a number of years teaching high school English in Wake County Public Schools.
Michelle earned a B.A. in English from Peace College and completed the teaching licensure program for secondary education in English/Language Arts at Meredith College. Additionally, she has completed professional development training in project management and Lean Six Sigma. In her spare time, she enjoys running, watching baseball and hockey, and spending time with her two boys.

E: aakrentz@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.3635

As a Proposal Developer, Amanda helps faculty develop and prepare grant proposals that span across multiple disciplines. She focuses on proposals in the areas of agriculture, health, and life sciences as well as supports proposals for the Genetics and Genomics Academy.

Amanda earned her B.S. from Centenary College of Louisiana with a focus in Neuroscience. She then earned her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Neuroscience and Behavior. Before joining the PDU, she worked as both a postdoctoral fellow and Adjunct Lecturer in the Biological Sciences Department at NC State. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to podcasts, watching reality TV, and participating in online communities.

E: jlcomer2@ncsu.edu

As a Proposal Developer, Jennifer works closely with faculty to create interdisciplinary proposals for external funding. Jennifer joined the PDU from NC State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering where she worked with faculty on proposals. Prior to joining NC State, Jennifer worked with non-profit organizations on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health proposals and managed programs funded by USAID, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and GiveWell. She also taught English in Spain and has worked in advocacy, both domestically and internationally.

She received her B.A. in History and Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill and her M.A. in International Studies, with a specialization in global water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), from NC State.  Jennifer enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling internationally, hiking in nature and reading.

E: ktmegerl@ncsu.edu, P: 919.515.1783

As a Proposal Developer, Kelsey supports faculty in developing and preparing grant proposals that span multiple disciplines. Her primary focus areas include agriculture, health, and life sciences. Before joining the Proposal Development Unit (PDU), Kelsey served as a Pre-Award Consultant for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where she assisted faculty in preparing proposals submitted to federal agencies and industry partners.

Kelsey holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Religious Studies from James Madison University. She plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration to further her expertise in research development and organizational leadership. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, brewing specialty coffees, and going to concerts.

E: rvvillar@ncsu.edu

As a Research Proposal Specialist, Russell assists the Proposal Developers with the preparation of multidisciplinary proposals for sponsored research. Prior to joining the PDU, he served as a Contracts and Grants Manager for the Nuclear Engineering department and the Industrial and System Engineering department where he would oversee Pre-award and Post-award activities for sponsored research at the department level.

Russell received his A.A.S. degree from Wake Tech Community College before becoming a devoted father of three children and currently is working towards achieving his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and aspires to earn his Ph.D. to continue working in sponsored research as a faculty member.

E: jbrown28@ncsu.edu, P: 919.513.2566

As the Project Assistant for the PDU,  Jessica assists with collection and formatting of CVs, Current and Pending Support, and other proposal documents. She also coordinates logistics for PDU-coordinated trainings, site visits, and other activities. Prior to joining the PDU in 2019, she spent many years as a full-time parent, worked in marketing for an online high school program and as a press team coordinator for a software company. 

Jessica holds a B.A. in Public Relations. In her free time, she loves to watch her four kids play sports and kayak at Falls Lake near her home.