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Lan Chan-Marples, Research Partner with the Research Partner Network under the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) portfolio, is assigned to the School of Public Health after 20 years of supporting key research activities at the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø. 

The School of Public Health benefits from the research administration knowledge and expertise of Chan-Marples on a daily basis. Get to know more about Lan, what a typical workday looks like for her, and more. 

What is your role in the School of Public Health and what does it involve?

I serve two roles. The first role entails assisting the school with institution-wide research grant development. Each partner has specialization in an area of grant development based on a defined portfolio of research sponsors and/or programs. My portfolio is community-engaged research. In this capacity, I provide grant development support to any researcher in the School of Public Health and across the institution who is engaged in research relating to community-engaged research.  

My second role is offering faculty-specific research support, which includes: research-related support like participating in faculty-level committees, strategic planning, and increasing grant success; providing administrative support such as training, advising, policy interpretation, advocacy and issue resolution; and serving as a go-to resource for researchers, senior academic leaders, and administrative professionals.           

What does a typical workday look like for you?  

A typical workday involves answering questions about grant applications and act as a liaison between faculty and Research Administrative Services. This includes advising and resolving university policy and process-related funding, program or sponsor concerns. In between all of that, I develop and offer grant application workshops and resources.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work? 

I enjoy learning about researchers' ideas and projects and then collaborating with them to obtain funding to make those ideas a reality. I find it satisfying when a researcher is successful and I know I’ve had a hand in that success.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work? 

Finding time to juggle everything! Often, I think I’m going to have a quiet day to work or catch up on things, but something comes up. This may have to do with the fact that I support five faculties along with some departments in another faculty.  

What is something your coworkers don’t know about you? 

I lead walking tours in Chinatown in my spare time. I appeared in a Daily Hive video showing me on one of my tours! 

Where is your favourite place on campus?   

I love walking through campus, in the Quad and in between buildings, to watch the seasons change: in winter, seeing the evergreen trees lit up in the Quad and in spring, seeing the buds forming on the lilac trees.

Is there anything you would like to add? 

I came to the university 20 years ago as a research facilitator in the Research Services Office (now Research Administrative Services) from the not-for-profit and government sectors. I continue to enjoy doing what I do, whether as a Research Facilitator or a Research Partner, to support research and researchers at the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø.