Melissa Salvo-Leadingham (Mel) makes an impact at the University of Chicago daily in her role as a Grant and Contracts Administrator for the PSD-LBC, CDS+ team and as Chair of the Hispanic/LatinX Resource Group. Her efforts have helped faculty secure competitive research funding, facilitating projects that drive academic excellence. Leadingham manages the lifecycle grant management for faculty in various departments, including the Computer Science Department, Data Science Institute, and Enrico Fermi Institute, as well as dual appointees at Argonne National Laboratory. Since joining the university in 2019 as a Financial Analyst, Mel has advanced in her career and is approaching her five-year milestone in November 2024.

Beyond her administrative skills, Mel advocates for a positive and inclusive work environment. She does this not only through her daily role, but as Chair and Finance Director of the Hispanic LatinX Resource Group and as a member of the Employee Resource Group Steering Committee. She has addressed and raised awareness about bullying and abusive behaviors within research administration across academia. Her dedication to fostering a supportive and respectful community extends through her initiatives like “CALM,” aimed at improving life cycle grant management and promoting mindfulness in administrative processes. Her leadership in creating a positive work environment has earned her the respect of her peers, making her a valued leader at the University.

Q: How long have you been with the University of Chicago, and what drew you here?
I started in 2019 as a Financial Analyst with the PSD-LBC. I spent almost two years as an Analyst thanks to COVID before being able to move up to Administrator. I am proudly coming up on my five years of service in November 2024.

Q: What are some highlights of working at the University of Chicago?
Meeting, getting to work with and collaborating with all the diverse people here at UChicago. I have met such a broad range of other staff and faculty that reside outside of my Department and Division, not only through my role as a Grants and Contracts Administrator, but also as the Chair of the Hispanic LatinX Resource Group, and a member of the Resource Group Steering Committee.

Q: How has being a Chair of the Hispanic/LatinX Resource Group changed your perspective on community and diversity within academia?
That it needs further work. We (collectively) swing too far one way and forget the other directions. It is almost as if we can only improve laterally rather than globally. I believe it can all be achieved with continued research and improvements.

Q: How did you become interested in working in this field?
I accidentally slipped into clinical research while working for a facial plastic surgeon who also happened to own a research company that he ran his projects through. These were all private sponsors, but we did have a few FDA-approval-seeking clinical trials and some ground-breaking independent research in the aesthetics field. I worked in medical billing for a while, before I separated from that company looking for something new. Having been in student loans before the medical office setting, I had some experience with the financial aspects of higher education, however, nothing could prepare me for what I received back from sponsored research. I truly found my path and my passion.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your work at the University of Chicago?
The support I bring in and manage daily supports the students of this University on numerous levels. It is my version of “paying it forward,” and it is truly the best part of my role. Supporting the faculty in their research endeavors has been truly awe-inspiring when I have read through some of the scientific theories they are being funded for and have put forward for sponsorship.

Q: What impact do you hope your work has on the broader community?
I hope the more that faculty receive competitive research funding whether through sponsored research or other gifting methods, it will attract even more bright and inquisitive students to the University of Chicago, specifically the PSD. This in turn allows the University to retain its forefront position in Computer Science and Data Science technology and information.

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I am an animal lover of all kinds. I have two dogs at home but have been absolutely itching to get a horse again. I miss riding and miss being around horses so much! Hailing from Florida originally, I grew up around all kinds of animals. We had dogs, cats, horses, exotic birds, a guinea pig, and a hamster or two. But since I can’t spend my free time on horseback, these days I work at my part-time job training LLMs in Generative AI, along with going to pretty much any sporting event I have the opportunity to attend.

Q: Can you share a bit about a project or initiative you are currently working on?
“CALM” Is my brainchild. “CALM” stands for “Conquering pre-Award deadlines in Lifecycle Madness” and directly addresses issues that no one tells you about in the field of administration of Sponsored Research. The first thing is, how to manage it all. Lifecycle grant management is a beast, and there is no specific “how to” when it comes to managing all the action items and tasks, and how to get it all done without killing yourself. Mindfulness and having boundaries are also an essential key focus area of this process. The concept was initially introduced at the 2024 NCURA PRA Conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii this past March. It is currently being developed as a follow-up article for the NCURA Magazine and Research Compendium. CALM is also being developed further into a practical resource workshop for NCURA’s PRA meeting in 2025 in San Diego. On top of that, we are developing spinoff sessions and discussion groups to delve deeper into the finite concepts introduced through CALM. Finally, we are preparing a public consumption presentation of CALM for mass distribution and marketing to other institutions and industry affiliates. We hope that CALM will become a way of life and best practice for administrators in sponsored research to successfully navigate the world of lifecycle grant management which in turn will increase retention and recruit new people to the field.

Q: What inspired you to start working on addressing bullying and abusive behaviors in research administration?
Being the subject of them. When I first started, a colleague asked me who I was. When I told them, they responded, “if you are still here in a year, I will take the time to remember your name at that point.” Given that I had been met with professionalism and courteous colleagues at every other interaction, I brushed this off as a one-off, but it always stuck with me. I have also experienced trying to make a change somewhere and not being able to do it because I received pushback from colleagues (Leadership included). After attending the PRA conference in Hawaii and attending a session on bullying in research administration, I found this was a very big concern in my field and decided to address it.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your UChicago experience?
I love coming to campus not only to see the hustling college life of our students and faculty but also the old-world architecture, and beautiful landscaping. I found out earlier this year via the UChicago LinkedIn page, that our campus is a botanical garden, which I thought was fascinating. Some of the buildings creep me out a little to go inside, but for the most part, it’s breathtaking.