OR Celebrates Staff Who Power Northwestern’s Research
ORIA winners (from l) Seth Zimmerman, Christine Akdeniz, Sarah Stein, and Engelhbert Ruiz with Vice President for Research Eric Perreault at the ceremony to recognize Office for Research staff innovation. (Credit: Cassidi Hunkler)
New recognition program rewards creativity and impact
By Matt Golosinski
Northwestern’s Office for Research team recently honored staff whose creativity and initiative are elevating how the University’s research enterprise operates, collaborates, and builds community. The Office for Research Innovation Awards (ORIA), held August 19 at the Simpson Querrey Auditorium in downtown Chicago, highlighted leadership’s commitment to recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance that improves research operations, impact, and collaboration.
“You—our staff—are the infrastructure that supports our research innovation,” said Eric Perreault, Vice President for Research, at the hybrid event. “You don’t conduct the research directly, but you make it possible. What set today’s honorees apart is that they didn’t just keep things running—they improved how we work, strengthened partnerships, and helped foster a sense of community across our research enterprise.”
From 17 eligible nominees, the OR Innovation Awards Committee recommended four awardees to the vice president based on impact in operations, partnerships, community building, and an open category for innovations that fall outside those areas. This year’s winners are:
- Christine Akdeniz (Senior Education and Outreach Coordinator in the Center for Synthetic Biology)— Community Building category. Recognized for building cohort-based community programs and outreach at CSB, increasing engagement, collaboration, and visibility across teams and external partners.
- Engelhbert Ruiz (Business Administrator 3)— Partnership category. Honored for creating intuitive budgeting templates and training programs that improved financial planning efficiency and boosted cross-center collaboration.
- Sarah Stein (Senior Project Administrator, INVO)— Operations category. Noted for deploying Smartsheet and Airtable tools that streamlined workflows and strengthened program management at The Querrey InQbation Lab, Northwestern’s research translation hub, enabling teams to handle complex initiatives more efficiently.
- Seth Zimmerman (Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, International Institute for Nanotechnology)— Open category. Applauded for launching Nanoscape: Exploring the Frontiers Ahead, a podcast that showcases breakthrough science and innovation at Northwestern’s interdisciplinary nanotechnology research institute.
The ORIA program underscores OR’s broader effort to foster a culture of creativity and continuous improvement. Eligibility is open to benefits-eligible staff below the director level with at least one year of employment. Individuals and teams may be nominated, including cross-unit teams. The structured review process—peer nominations, committee evaluation, and VPR approval—ensures that recognition is aligned with real impact.
Above: ORIA winner Sarah Stein poses with members of her team from
INVO. From left: Ryan Murney, Lisa Dhar, Stein, Sonia Kim, and Elisa Mitchell.
Credit: Cassidi Hunkler
Perreault closed the ceremony by thanking all nominees and their nominators and reaffirming OR’s commitment to listening and learning. “These awards are a small way of saying thank you—and recognizing just how much your work matters,” he said. “As we look ahead, we remain open to your feedback, ideas, and insights to help our research enterprise grow stronger, even in a challenging time for higher education.”
Congratulations to this year’s winners and thanks to every nominee who advances Northwestern’s mission through excellence, teamwork, and the creativity to rethink the status quo.