Susan Sullivan Email & Phone Number

This conjoint general manager role is one of the first non-academic conjoint roles established at UQ. Reporting to the co-directors of the STARS Education and Research Alliance, my role partners with various stakeholders (researchers, clinicians, consumers, administrators, educators, and students) to support business processes (HR, finance, WHS, admin, space and research management, strategic planning) in both organisations (UQ and MNH) to deliver the education and research priorities outlined within the Alliance Strategic Plan. My role provides professional leadership and support for the core team (20 staff and students, including 8 conjoint staff), and 70+ UQ staff co-located in the STARS hospital. I advise senior staff in STARS hospital regarding research governance processes and contribute to a risk-based assessment of clinical research projects at STARS. Strong emphasis on communication, teamwork and problem solving to maximise opportunities and outcomes across the partnership that spans multiple schools and faculties within UQ and all professional streams in STARS. Role requires high-level problem-solving skills and tenacity to navigate the daily complexities of working across two large organizations, combined with advanced negotiation and partnership skills to influence individuals and teams who do not directly report to me.

My role worked closely with UQ Diamantina Institute (UQDI) Management and was responsible for strategic research development within UQDI and broadly across the Faculty of Medicine. I used my specialist knowledge of the Australian funding landscape to provide researchers strategic research development advice and constructive feedback on their funding applications.

Brisbane, Australia

I worked collaboratively with research leaders to develop and enact the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s research strategy, planning and processes, and ensured alignment with the university research plan. I managed and led a team that provided support for research and innovation activities across the project lifecycle in a large, research-active Faculty. We assisted researchers to identify relevant funding opportunities, ensure compliance and eligibility conditions were met, assisted with budgeting and developing or reviewing the application for overall competitiveness, feasibility and ‘grantsmanship’.

South Brisbane

I provided high-level research and operational management for the Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre (QCPRRC), an organisational unit of the Queensland Children's Hospital and UQ's Faculty of Medicine. My role provided critical support for the Centre’s research program, which included both an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence and an Advance Queensland Innovation Partnerships Program. My role supported the Directors to promote the strategic growth of the research program and I was responsible for generating and maintaining strong and beneficial partnerships between key internal and external stakeholders for the Centre. I managed various operational business functions including: finance; human resources; postgraduate student administration; resource management; workplace health and safety; and research grant administration including research agreements and management of ethics and governance compliance.

Brisbane, Australia

I supported all research management functions for a medical research centre including finance, human resources, research administration, postgraduate student administration, resource management and workplace health and safety.

Uq Centre For Clinical Research

As an independent post-doctoral researcher at UQCCR (Jan 2009 to Aug 2015), I was responsible for the preparation of my grant, fellowship and ethics applications and all aspects of their post-award management. My main research duties included - design/optimisation of experiments, performing the research, analysis of results, integration of input from collaborators and creating the scientific outputs (manuscript/conference presentations). My management/administrative duties included supervision and training of students and research staff; OH&S compliance; financial and physical resource management; completion of reporting requirements; ethics and data management.

The University Of Queenslansd

UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are a 3 year fellowship. I was employed on this fellowship for 6 months, until I commenced my NHMRC postdoctoral research fellowship.

Discipline Of Anatomy

Department Of Physiology And Pharmacology

Graduate Certificate In Business Administration

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Neuroscience

Thesis Title: Examining the role of astrocytes in the pathophysiology of hypoxic/ischemic damage in the neonatal pig brain. Supervisors.

Bachelor Of Science Honours, Biochemistry, Class I

July 2001 to June 2002. Honours Thesis Title: The Potential Contributions of Neprilysin and EAAT2 to the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s.

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Genetics