The Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships welcomes new research development specialist

The Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships recently welcomed Cheryl Dykstra-Aiello as the new research development specialist. She joined the office in October.

“We are pleased to welcome Cheryl to the Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships. She will be instrumental in supporting faculty in proposal development and educational opportunities,” said Kim Christen, associate vice president and associate vice chancellor Pullman for Research Advancement and Partnerships.

Dykstra-Aiello will support the overall management, operation, and leadership of ORAP in various ways, including proposal consultation and development, facilitation of educational and training opportunities to enhance WSU researchers’ proposal writing success, and researching appropriate funding sponsors and collaborative partnerships for WSU’s faculty.

“I am excited to join the Washington State University’s Office of Research. As the land grant university in Washington, I am excited to work with faculty across the system in bringing new ideas and research to life through the proposal process and identifying new funding sources to aid in their search for solutions to real world challenges,” said Dykstra-Aiello.

Dyksta-Aiello holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Eastern Washington University. She received her doctorate degree in molecular, cellular, and integrative physiology from the University of California, Davis.

The Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships advances research across the WSU system by providing the services needed to increase WSU’s research capacity. This includes helping faculty bring in funding by providing grant writing workshops, proposal editing and review services, proposal development assistance, targeted funding searches, and research expansion activities. Whether faculty have been submitting grant proposals for years or are completely new to the process, the Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships provides the resources to help faculty succeed in securing grant funding.