INORMS Governance

The INORMS network enables the officers of its member Associations to compare their national, international or regional issues, and to learn from each other. Each member Association has its own distinct remit, constitution, membership and geographical base, but all face similar issues. Through INORMS, member Associations are able to transfer training course structure and content, adopt comparable support mechanisms, jointly develop training materials, and jointly influence policy.

The INORMS Council provides leadership for the network. The Council is chaired by the President/Chair of the Association hosting the immediate past INORMS Congress currently the Chair of SARIMA. The Incoming Chair also provides Secretariat support for the Council over a two-year period. Broader membership of the Council is made up of the Chairs/Presidents of the Member Associations. The governance of the INORMS Council is underpinned by a set of Operating Principles which are reviewed annually by the Council.

The INORMS Council appointed a Working Group in September 2017 whose aims is to strengthen the value proposition of the network by progressing ideas and joint initiatives endorsed by the Council for the greater benefit of the network. The INORMS Working Group is governed by a set of Terms of Reference.

Navigating the evolving role of research managers: Insights from INORMS Council members

INORMS Council Members

CHAIR:

Prof Emilia has been involved in Research Management (RM) since 2008 when she was appointed Deputy Director and subsequently Director of a Research Center in Mozambique. Through the years, she has played diverse roles in RM as for example: President of the Mozambican Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education; President of the African Association for the Study of Indigenous Knowledge System (AASIKS); Member of the executive committee of the Southern Africa Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE). She served three terms as SARIMA committee member two of which as Vice-President for the Africa Engagement portfolio. Emilia holds a PhD in Science Education from Curtin University of Technology, Australia. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the UWC (South Africa) and a Fulbright researcher at the New York University (USA). She has been awarded a Doctor Honoris Cause by the Federal University of Maranhao, Brazil. Emilia is the Vice Chancellor of Pungue University, Mozambique, the first woman ever to occupy that position for a public University in Mozambique.

COUNCIL MEMBERS:

Prof. Makiko Takahashi, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan, has been a Vice-Chair of RMAN-J since the association’s creation in 2014.

For the past twenty years, she has devoted herself to the promotion of academia-industry collaboration, technology transfer, and research strategy while working for Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, and RIKEN (two national universities and one national research Institute).

Through these experiences, she recognized the need for a research administrative function to strengthen research in Japanese universities. From 2008, she had actively explained the importance to the stakeholders, and this led to the establishment of the first Japanese skill standard and educational programs under the MEXT URA (University Research Administrator) promotion program. This work resulted in the subsequent creation of RMAN-J in 2014.

She has recently been appointed Executive Director of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), and serves in various advisory roles in ministries and funding agencies, including MEXT, METI, NEDO, and JST. In addition, she is a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP). Dr. Takahashi aspires to establish skill standards and educational programs for the Japanese URA system.

Stine Skipper is member of the board of DARMA (Danish association for Research Managers and Administrators DARMA). Today she is Chief Research Advisor at Copenhagen Business School with special responsibility for external funding from private foundations. She has worked with RMA since 2001 internationally and in Denmark and has experience with both pre- and post-award and has managed several research support units in various research institution (technical, health, social science, environment). She was member of the EARMA Annual Conference Programme Committee 2023-24. She has an international background from UN and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has worked abroad in Ghana, India and Kenya.

Annemarie Vastenhouw-van der Linden is cofounder and since November 2021 chair of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators the Netherlands (ARMA-NL), before that she was the secretary of the board. ARMA-NL is the official association originated in 2018 from the network EU-Project Managers in the Netherlands (EUPMAN), that started already in 2008.

ARMA-NL has the mission to support the professionalization of our members by offering a professional network, stimulate and provide professional development, knowledge sharing opportunities and representation, by and for its members.

Within the University Medical Centre Utrecht, Annemarie is a project advisor, policy staff member and senior project manager for complex (inter-)national funded collaborative research & innovation proposals and projects. Before, she worked at the EU project management team of the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam. She started in 2009 as EU project manager at the UMC Utrecht. Prior, she worked in a neuroscience lab for ten years. Experienced with RIA, MSCA-ITN/DN, MSCA-COFUND, FET Open/Proactive/Flagships, EIC, E+, ERC and diverse national funding.

Carlos Graeff Teixeira is Professor at the Unit of Infectious Diseases, Center for Health Studies, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Brazil, since october 2019. He graduated as physician and got a PhD in Tropical Medicine, 1991, at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a Full Professor at Health Sciences School, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, for 27 years, and coordinator for promotion of interdisciplinarity (2011-2016) and Dean of Research at the Office of Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies. He is a founding member of Brazilian Research Administrators and Managers Association (2013) and Past-President (2013-2015). He is currently BRAMA’s Vice-President.

Dembo Kanteh is the current president of the West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA) and is keenly interested in development initiatives for Africa and more recently focused on research development.

He has been a member of the association since it pioneered and has also served as its Assistant General Secretary for over five years working dedicatedly to ensure the growth of the association and its vision. He also currently coordinates the MRC Unit The Gambia’s program of work within West Africa. This program aims to create collaborative scientific partnerships amongst research institutions, platforms for research and ensure the improved uptake of research outputs.

Prior to his current role Dembo worked in several managerial functions within the Medical Research Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The research support office was established to provide a central facility for the application and management processes for grants within the institution. Under his supervision the office saw significant expansion employing several project managers. Dembo provided the needed training and ensured that staff are adequately equipped to deal with the multi-disciplinary nature of research management.

Dembo holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and an MBA.

Dominique Michaud is Director, Research Development in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Graduate Studies at Concordia University. Dominique has been active in research administration for over 30 years with prior appointments first as a research coordinator and then as a research advisor in humanities and social sciences at Universite du Quebec a Montreal before taking position at Concordia University in 2012. She is a Past President of ADARUQ, the Quebec Association of University Research Administrators, and the incoming President of the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA).

Anu Juslin is a chair of Finn-ARMA network, Finland (2024-2026). Anu works as Head of Research development at the Tampere University, being responsible for strategic research development support functions at the University. She has 15 years of experience in research development and research services in various specialist and leadership positions. She holds a PhD in Signal Processing from the Tampere University of Technology.

Hulda Proppé is the chair of the IceARMA board. She is the director of research and head of research services at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Iceland. The research services are responsible for all national and international research grants at the school, from project idea to audit and impact, building up research infrastructure and developing and implementing strategy implementation in research support and management. Hulda represents Iceland in the Horizon Europe Programme Committee for Cluster 2 – Culture, creativity and inclusive societies and represented Iceland in the Horizon 2020 Programme Committee for Societal Challenge 6 – Europe in a chaning world: inclusive and reflective societies. Hulda holds a BA and an MA in Social Anthropology and has worked in research management and administration from 2011.

Jennifer Johnson is Director of Research and Innovation Service at Northumbria University with responsibility for a wide range of research strategy, policy and support services including research grants and contracts, research systems, research quality and REF, researcher development, research policy, research funding and innovation. Jennifer previously worked as Head of Research Operations and Head of Research Performance and Governance at the University of Leeds for 10 years.

Jennifer is committed to the professionalisation and recognition of the research management and administration sector, and to improving the way in which we work together across the sector. Jennifer is a member of the Research Organisations and Councils Group (ROCG) and the Snowball Metrics project, and represents the Association of Research Managers and Administrators UK (ARMA UK) on a number of sector groups including the UUK/JISC Content Negotiation Strategy Group and JISCs UK PIDs (Persistent Identifiers) Group .

Jennifer has been on the ARMA UK Board of Directors since 2016 and was Director of Training & Development before undertaking a year as Chair Elect and then becoming Chair of the Association on 1st August 2020.

Fariba Soetan is the Head of Policy and Research at the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), bringing over 20 years of experience in higher education policy, with expertise spanning research, science, innovation, human rights, and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Throughout her career, she has led strategic policy reviews, managed multimillion-pound budgets, and provided evidence-based advice to governments and senior stakeholders. Fariba has held key roles at organisations such as the UK Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), International academic publisher Springer Nature, and the UK’s National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). She is passionate about fostering collaboration across the Commonwealth to address global challenges through higher education policy and innovation.

Dr. MU Rongping, the president of Chinese Association for Science of Science and S&T Policy， received his Ph.D degree from Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany. He is Professor of Institutes of Sciences and Development of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and director-general of CAS Center for Innovation and Development.

He is Dean of School of Public Policy and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was director-general of Institute of Policy and Management of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIPM 2004-2014).

Dr. Mu is also the president of the China High-tech Industry Promotion Society, a member of Expert Committee on National Development Plan, a member of the Governing Board of International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation under the Auspices of UNESCO (ISTIC). He has involved in drafting policy documents concerning innovation capacity-building and strategic industry in China, and published more than 50 papers in peer-review.

Katrin Steinack holds a doctorate in political science and has worked in research management and as research adviser for almost two decades. From 2006-2017 she supported research at the University of Kent in Canterbury in England and in Australia at Monash University and the University of Melbourne, where she led the respective research service team in two faculties. Since 2017, she is based at the University of Kassel in German, initially as head of the Research Service Office and, since 2022, heading the Research and Graduate Support Office. Since 2018, she contributes to the professionalization of research management in German-speaking countries within the German research and transfer management association FORTRAMA e.V. – since 2020 as co-chair of the association’s board. She has a strong background in setting up and developing highly skilled teams and efficient structures for research support and is a strong advocate for  best practice development and exchange beyond institutional and national boundaries

Dr. Tania Bezzobs is the current President of the Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS). She is an experienced research management executive with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education/ research/ government sectors. Skilled in Collaborative Practice, Business Planning and Development, Management, Government, Regulatory & Compliance, Financial Management, Policy Development, Strategy Planning and Implementation. Dr. Bezzobs is also Director, Research Services, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

Dipti Pandya is the Chair of the European Association for Research Managers and Administrators, EARMA.  Dipti has been an active EARMA member since 2016 and was previously the Chair of the EARMA Policy and Representation Committee and elected Board member since 2022. Dipti is the EARMA representative for the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and EARMA member of ERA Action 17: Empowering the Research Management Profession.

Dipti is the Head of Pre-Award Research Funding at University College Dublin, Ireland leads the pre-award and contract teams. Dipti has been involved in all aspects of the research funding lifecycle as an Erasmus alumni, EC stagiaire, funded researcher, expert evaluator, National Delegate for SSH, EU Research Infrastructures Advisory Group member, Senior Research Manager and funder as Director of the Irish Research Council. Dipti is the Co-Chair of the UCD EDI Anti-Racism and Cultural Awareness sub-group, and Board member of Léargas.

Deanna Wilson currently serves as the Executive Director for the National Organization of Research Development Professionals. Wilson has extensive experience working in not-for-profit and professional associations. With a focus on strategic planning, fundraising development, grant writing, marketing and communications, and management of membership programs, Wilson joined NORDP in July of 2023.

Dara Little, MPA, CRA
Associate Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs | Northern Illinois University

Dara Little serves as the Associate Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs at Northern Illinois University (NIU), where she oversees pre-and post-award processes, research compliance, and several core facilities, ensuring that research is conducted ethically and in compliance with regulations.

Dara is dedicated to advancing the field. She has delivered more than twenty-five sessions and workshops covering a wide range of topics and has assisted numerous institutions in enhancing their research administration structures to optimize compliance and service. She is published in the Journal of Research Administration and holds SRAI Distinguished Faculty status. Dara currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI).

Patrick Reurink is the chairperson of NARMA – the Norwegian Association for Research Managers and Administrators for the period 2023-2025. Patrick is a Senior Adviser in the Division of Research, Innovation and External Relations at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, mainly working with international collaboration and research quality.

Kim Patten is Associate Vice President for Research Development at the University of Arizona. She leads a team of research development professionals supporting faculty in their pursuit of extramural funding from federal, corporate, and foundation (through honors and awards) sponsors. Their work has resulted in more than $700 million in awards to the university since 2014. She advocates a holistic view of research development and the research lifecycle, emphasizing societal impacts of research (e.g., the incorporation and promotion of undergraduate research experiences, core community partnerships, and inclusive practices). Kim currently serves on the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) Board of Directors (Term 2022-2026). Before joining the University of Arizona, Kim managed national and international projects and programs in conservation, renewable energy, and distributed data systems. As associate director at the Arizona Geological Survey, she managed and worked with a $30 million research portfolio, including as co-principal investigator on a $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project and project manager of a $22 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project. Prior to that, she helped develop the research portfolio of a science-based non-profit organization and secured its first NSF funding

Denise Moody is the 2025 President of NCURA. She serves as the Director of Research Operations, Systems, and Policies at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation. Denise has an NCURA Distinguished Educator distinction and is a frequent presenter and publications author in the research administration profession.

Kate Harris is a Senior Research Administrator (URA) in the School of Science at the University of Tokyo, where she aims to use her international experience to help create a global environment that meets the needs of Japanese and international students and researchers alike. Kate studied in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland before moving to Japan to do postdoctoral research in supramolecular chemistry. Thereafter, she moved into the field of research support, first working as a Senior Editor at an academic editing company that supports non-native English-speaking researchers, before taking up her current position in 2017. She represents the Research Manager and Administrator Network Japan (RMAN-J) on the INORMS Working Group and also served as the INORMS Secretariat from 2021 to 2023.

Ylva Hultman is in the board of the Swedish Association of Research Managers and Administrators (SWARMA). She is working as a financial expert in EU funded projects and supports both researchers and financial managers on financial and compliance issues, from the early application stage to reporting, audits and close out of the project. She is Sweden´s ambassador for the EU funded project RMROADMAP, a project focused on Creating Framework Conditions for Research Management to Strengthen the European Research Area.

Ganna Tolstanova is Professor of Biochemistry. She holds a leadership role at the biggest and influential Ukrainian university, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine (TSNUK). Since 2021, she serves as the Vice-rector for Research. Before this appointment she has served for five years as the Head of R&D Department of the TSNUK. Before being appointed to the administrative position, she went through all the stages of scientific career from a junior researcher to the position of a full professor. Her career path is a classic example of the formation of a leader in an academic environment. She began her scientific career with postgraduate studies in Faculty of Biology TSNUK. After her PhD defence, she held two years postdoc position at the University of California, Irvine, USA. Afterwards she returned to Ukraine in her alma mater to continue her career path. Ganna Tolstanova is a highly accomplished experimental gastroenterologist. She has since received numerous national and international grants for her research. Professor Tolstanova is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pharmacology and a member of the Editorial Board for Ukrainian Biochemical Journal. She is also co-chair of the Basic Gastroenterology Unit at the Ukrainian Association of Gastroenterologists. Along with developing a scientific career, Ganna Tolstanova is taking an active public position in the modernization and reform of Higher Education and Science in Ukraine with main focus on scientific academic career development. In 2013, she was selected among 100 young scientists who were sent by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) for an internship at the 50 top-rated universities. In 2014, she first organized the Council of Young Researchers of the TSNUK, which included representatives of all faculties and in 2016 has been elected in the Presidium of the Council of Young Researchers of Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Since, 2019 she has been invited to the Supervisory board of this Council. Since 2022, she has been elected the Vice-Chairman of the Vice-Rectors for Research Presidium MESU. She is serving as the expert for Enterprise Europe network; Ukrainian Startup Fund. She is active member of the Administrative committee of National Council of Ukraine for The Development of Science and Technology. In 2022, she is founded the NGO “Professional Network for Research and HEIs managers of Ukraine” (PNRM) to develop the horizontal connections between the national & international academic community, including external research networks and funding councils, building relationships to increase collaborative working opportunities. Since, 2024 she was elected to be the member of the 2025 EUA-CDE Thematic Peer Group “Doctoral schools: building bridges beyond academia”.

Lorna is Managing Director of Research and Innovation Services at Durham University, and Chair of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) in the UK. Lorna joined Durham in 2017 as Head of Research Development, and in 2021 took on the role of Director of Research Development and Operations, becoming MD in January 2024. Previously to joining Durham she worked at Newcastle University in a number of roles. She is a member of the Horizons Institute Advisory Board, was previously a member of UKRI’s Research Organisation Consultation Group, ROCG, (2019-2023), and is co-founder and previous co-chair of Women@DU. She represents the ARMA community on a number of national policy groups and sector organisations on key topics such as (for example) research security, reducing research bureacracy, and co-production (LinkedIn Profile: (13) Lorna Wilson | LinkedIn).

Melvin Carlos, Ph.D. (Simon Fraser University, Canada) is the President of the Philippine Association of Research Managers, Inc. (PHILARM). A Career Executive Service Officer at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Melvin serves as Deputy Director at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). For more than 20 years, he taught and did research at the University of the Philippines and at the University of British Columbia, Canada. As a research manager, he led the establishment of the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC) that hastened IP management and the commercialization and transfer of various technologies generated from DOST-PCAARRD funding grants. At present, he oversees the National Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources R&D Network (NAARRDN) and the 15 Regional R&D Consortia comprising more than 400 research and development, extension and innovation agencies and higher education institutions

Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska is an accomplished academic specializing in Islam in Europe at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, where she has worked for over 20 years and currently holds the position of associate professor. She heads the Middle East and Central Asia Unit. Katarzyna has made significant contributions to university management and administration, serving as president of the Dean’s Office Forum Association since 2018, which later became the Forum of Academic Administration (FAA). Her expertise is evident in her publications, including co-authored and co-edited books on the functioning, challenges, and best practices of university administration. Through the Forum, she collaborates with key stakeholders in Polish higher education, including the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland. Katarzyna has also demonstrated her research management skills through successful grant acquisitions and her involvement in Polish and EU-funded projects. In recognition of her work, she received an award from the Minister of Science for significant scientific achievements in 2024

Biography to follow

Biography to follow