University of Montana Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter

Expanding our services and welcoming new colleagues

ORCS supports the UM research community to accelerate discovery and deliver impact. Campus researchers are most familiar with our Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), the specialized group that supports the grant process from proposal to closure. But we also offer a suite of other services, including an Office of Research Development to help increase proposal competitiveness, opportunities to share research with public audiences through the Broader Impacts Group, and much more. Over the past year, I’ve received emphatic requests for investment in two additional areas: statistical support and commercialization.

In response to these requests, ORCS has hired two new team members that will expand our capacity to serve and support your work.

Commercialization support: Dr. Harmen Steele joined ORCS as the Director of Technology Transfer in July. Harmen brings extensive experience in commercialization from the University of North Carolina. He earned his PhD in biophysics from UM, and he has a deep sense of pride in our university and community. This dedicated full-time position addresses a faculty-identified need for faster and more streamlined commercialization pathways. It also demonstrates UM’s commitment to solving real-world problems with research innovations.

Statistical support: Dr. Joran Elias joined ORCS as a Statistical Analyst in August. Joran holds a PhD in Mathematics and brings academic and private sector statistical experience to supporting our research community. He will serve as a resource for both UM faculty and students. Joran can provide support during the proposal development stage, including sampling design, and can also assist with data analysis. As part of his role, Joran will teach the STAT 451/452 series for graduate students.

Welcome Harmen and Joran.

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