Brad Steele, J.D., a grants and contracts officer in UAB's Office of Sponsored Programs, was one of the Future of the Field award recipients from the Society of Research Administrators International.
When Brad Steele ran his own law practice in his hometown of Moulton, Alabama, he made it a habit to answer calls and emails “at all times of the day or night,” he said. Steele, who joined UAB in 2022 as a grants and contracts officer in the Office of Sponsored Programs, did not mind that aspect of the job. But the strain of criminal and domestic cases grew to wear on him.
From small-town lawyer to UAB research administration
“I’m a very reserved individual for the most part — I have always liked working in the background as part of a team, and my original idea in law school of working on contracts started to seem like the way to go,” he said. He did not consider research administration as an option, because he had little to no idea that the field existed. But a family friend told him about her experiences at UAB, and the more he learned, the “more interested I became,” Steele said. “I could see it was right up my alley.”
Although he did not have any scientific background, “I know contracts, and I enjoy knowing that my efforts contribute to the success of this research enterprise at UAB,” he said. That is why, when he sees an email from one of his researchers, “I will answer it as soon as I see it, typically, whether that is 9 or 10 at night or at 4 in the morning. Everything in this research field is so time-intensive, and if they are working then, I know that getting a quick answer means that is one less thing they have to worry about.”
Steele’s attitude and performance drew the attention of Gina Hedberg, associate vice president for Research and executive director of the Office of Sponsored Programs. Hedberg, a member of the board of directors of the Society of Research Administrators International, asked Steele if he would be interested in being nominated for SRAI’s Future of the Field recognition program, which “aims to highlight the ‘up-and-comers’ of research administration,” according to the organization’s website. Steele, who was chosen from more than 100 nominated individuals internationally, will be honored at SRAI’s annual meeting this fall in Chicago, Illinois.
“With research, we’re all in this together”
“I’m always looking at what I can do to up my game in what we do,” Steele said. “With research, we’re all in this together.”
Although this will be Steele’s first time attending the SRAI conference, he and a colleague attended a Federal Demonstration Partnership meeting in Washington, D.C., last May. “Things are always changing in the research world, and you can encounter many different situations,” Steele said. “Fortunately, my colleagues have seen most of them; but when they haven’t, making contacts at offices in other universities gives you a network of individuals to reach out to. You can say, ‘How have you handled this in your team?’” Educational opportunities at conferences mean that he can better assist researchers in his assigned areas, too, Steele says.
His work often involves contract reviews with the National Institutes of Health, due to UAB’s large portfolio of NIH-funded research; but he also has been able to specialize in Department of Energy procedures because of his work with faculty in UAB’s Department of Physics.
In a letter to Steele announcing his selection, SRAI president Gloria W. Greene explained that “the individuals recognized through Future of the Field are some of the best and brightest in our profession.” Greene concluded: “Embrace this recognition, believe in yourself, and continue striving for excellence.”
That is precisely what Steele plans to do. “I am super excited to have this honor and go to the SRAI annual meeting,” he said. “Anything I do to make myself better can help make our processes better.”
