102 Roudebush Hall • Phone: 513-529-3600• Fax: 513-529-3762

OARS Staff

Bruce J. Cochrane, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Research & Dean of the Graduate School
cochrabj@muohio.edu

Bruce Cochrane received his Master’s degree in Zoology and his Ph. D. in Genetics, both from Indiana University. Following a postdoctoral appointment at the University of North Carolina, he joined the faculty of the Department of Biology at the University of South Florida. His research has been in the areas of evolutionary and ecological genetics, has published extensively, and has received funding from the NIH, NSF, and the EPA. He rose to the rank of Professor, and from 2001-2007, he was Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In August 2007, he moved to Miami University (Ohio) to assume the position of Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship and Dean of the Graduate School. His interest in graduate education has been long-standing, having mentored over twenty master’s and doctoral students and having been responsible for graduate program administration at the departmental, college, and university levels. At USF, he was heavily involved with efforts to develop digital tools to facilitate graduate student scholarship, ones which led to the adoption of the University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation standards. At both USF and Miami, he has played a leading role in graduate program development and review.

Jim Oris

James T. Oris, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship
orisjt@muohio.edu

Dr. James T. Oris received a B.A. in Biology from Wittenberg University (1979) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Fisheries & Wildlife from Michigan State University (1985). He has been a member of the Zoology Department at Miami University since 1986 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1996. He teaches classes in ecological risk assessment and environmental biology. Oris has served as chair of the Zoology Graduate Programs, chair of the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC), and Executive Committee chair of University Senate at Miami University. External to Miami, he has served as consultant to a variety of Federal and private agencies, has served as President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in North America, and is currently a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science Advisory Board.

Oris is an environmental toxicologist with a primary interest in the fate, dynamics, and toxicity of trace contaminants and multiple stressors in aquatic organisms. His areas of research interest include the photochemistry and toxicology of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish and invertebrates, the molecular regulation of the Cytochrome P-450 metabolizing system in fish, the fate and dynamics of sediment pollutants in fish and invertebrates, and the modeling and statistical analysis of toxicity dose-response relationships. Dr. Oris has received funding from the U.S. EPA, from NIEHS, and from industrial sources to conduct research in these areas. In addition to toxicology research, he is involved in the development of multimedia materials for use in the environmental science classroom.

Tricia L. Callahan, M.A.
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship
callahtl@muohio.edu

In May 2008, Tricia Callahan joined the OARS team as our new assistant director. Before joining the OARS staff at Miami, Tricia was the assistant director for proposal development in the Western Kentucky University Office of Sponsored Programs. In addition, she was affiliated with WKU’s Department of Psychology where she taught introductory psychology. Tricia’s prior experience includes a position in the pre-award office at the University of Louisville and work as a part-time instructor for the Department of Psychology and the Kent School of Social Work. Tricia is 1991 Miami alum and holds a master’s degree from the University of Louisville (1996) in experimental psychology. Callahan's research interests focus on childhood obesity, including the physiological and environmental factors that influence weight and weight management in children and adolescents. Given her research interests, she helped to establish the Healthy Weight Kids Coalition (HWKC) of Southern Kentucky. Tricia is an active volunteer with the Grants Resource Center (GRC), the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and with the Society of Research Administrators (SRA). For fun, Tricia enjoys bicycling, jogging, playing racquetball and being with her family.

John A. Czaja, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Research and Scholarship
USS Program Coordinator
czajaja@muohio.edu

Helen G. Kiss, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship
Information Coordinator
kisshg@muohio.edu

Anne Schauer

Anne Schauer, M.A., CRA
Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship
s chauerap@muohio.edu

Anne Schauer joined the OARS staff in July of 2004 as Assistant Director for Research and Scholarship. Prior to coming to Miami, Anne worked in Research Administration for over 15 years as a Grants Specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and as Associate Director at the University of Cincinnati, and Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She received her M.A. in Human Service Administration from Bradley in 1998, and a B.A. in Biochemistry and Art from Brandeis in 1979, with a 3-year stint in the Master of Architecture Program at the University of Texas at Austin between the two. Anne recently earned the CRA (Certified Research Administrator) designation, and has been an active member of NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators), and SRA (Society of Research Administrators) since 1993. When she is not engaged in grant-related activities, Anne can usually be found buried in one of several art projects involving painting, stained-glass or pottery. She also enjoys sewing, cooking and gardening, and tries to get away with her wonderful husband on at least two camping-hiking trips each year.

Neal Sullivan

Neal H. Sulllivan, Ph.D.
Research Compliance Officer
sullivnh@muohio.edu

Neal Sullivan, research compliance officer, is a new addition at OARS in 2008. Neal’s duties at OARS include the responsibility for administration of the Internal Review Board for human subjects research and the Institutional Animal Care committee. Prior to his OARS appointment, Neal held a visiting assistant professor position from August 2004 – 2008 with Miami’s Botany and Zoology Departments, teaching Environmental Biology and Fundamentals of Ecology, and Introduction to Botany. His research interests include identifying and developing indices of ecological processes, particularly those processes affected by a potentially changing climate. His educational background includes a master’s degree in forest resources from the University of New Hampshire in 1993 and a Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Missouri in 2001. Neal’s experience includes two years with the USDA Forest Service as a research ecologist from 2002-2004.

Martha Weber

Martha E. Weber, M.S.
Assistant to the Associate Provost for Research & Dean of the Graduate School
weberme@muohio.edu

Martha Weber joined the Office for the Advancement of Scholarship and Research team in 1991. Her duties at OARS include database and program administration for several OARS internal programs, supervision of two support staff members, coordination of Miami’ s annual Undergraduate Research Forum and management of MU's nationally recognized Undergraduate Summer Scholars program. Before joining Miami University in 1988, Martha developed proposals for an international construction company in Atlanta. From 1972-79 she spent six years living in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and working for Cargolux airlines. Weber traveled the world extensively and speaks a smattering of French, German and Luxembourgish. Her formal educational background includes a BA in French from Miami University in 1972 and a master’s of science degree from Miami’s College Student Personnel Program awarded in 2007. She has presented at Miami’s Lilly Conference on College Teaching in partnership with Dr. Christine Heilman. In addition, she is serving as the 2008-2009 President of Miami’s Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. For entertainment she enjoys taking her golden retriever and Labrador to local dog parks and spending time visiting her daughter Madeleine, a 2007 Miami graduate, who lives in Cleveland.

Robert S. Weber, M.A., M.P.A.
Proposal Facilitator
weberrs@muohio.edu

Bob has worked as an OARS proposal facilitator since 2007. He is visiting faculty in English and Journalism, teaching composition, literature and journalism courses at Miami’s Hamilton Campus since 2005. His OARS duties include proposal facilitation, assisting faculty in grant funding searches, and editing the OARS newsletter and website. Bob’s educational background includes attending Rochester Institute of Technology from 1973-76 where he majored in professional photography. After RIT, Weber became the head photographer at Gibson Greeting Cards and a contract photographer with Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati from 1980-1985. After returning to Miami in 1987, Bob received his BA in English and Geography with honors in 1990. Bob received a Miami Geography Department faculty award in 1989 and was a Miami English Department Greer-Hepburn Award recipient in 1990. Weber holds a master's degree in English/Communications from Wright State University in 1992 and a second master's degree in Public Administration from Wright State in 1994. In addition, Bob was a candidate for Butler County Auditor in 2002 and 2008. He enjoys political activism, photography, creative writing and playing blues guitar.

Support staff

Terri Brosius, A.A.B.
Master Administrative Assistant
brosiutt@muohio.edu

Rachel Shelley, B.A.
Administrative Assistant
sheller1@muohio.edu

Gabe Campbell
Technology Support Analyst
campbegl@muohio.edu

Affiliated staff

Amy Lamborg, M.S., MTSC
Grant Development Coordinator - Miami University Hamilton Campus
lambora@muohio.edu

Amy Lamborg is the Grant Development Coordinator for Miami University Hamilton. Amy began her career with a BA in Geology from Earlham College and an master's degree in Geology from the University of Cincinnati, and worked in environmental consulting for 12 years. While a consultant, she developed an interest in risk communication and how people understand notions of risk. This interest led to a Master's degree in Technical and Scientific Communication (MTSC) from Miami University and a job at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health where she was a science writer and editor. At Miami Hamilton, she has been researching and writing successful proposals, ranging in size from $200 to $1,000,000, since 2004.

Barbara S. Roberts, M.A., GPC
Grant Development Coordinator - Miami University Middletown Campus
robertb5@muohio.edu

Barbara Roberts, M.A., GPC, is the Grant Development Coordinator for Miami University Middletown. With a Grant Professional Certificate and a Master’s in Counseling for Children and Their Families, Barbara’s experience includes ten years of non-profit, client-centered, counseling and community health services; six years of community development efforts with educational, health services, and religious non-profits; and eight years in grants development. She has researched, written, and submitted successful grant applications, ranging in size from $2,500 to $1.6 million, to federal, state, regional, local, and private foundations.