IACS is proud to announce the hire of Jennifer McCauley who recently joined the team to become the Program Coordinator for the new $3M STRIDE NRT training grant awarded by the National Science Foundation. Her application was one of 280 and rose to the top of the pile in quick fashion. “We were delighted to be able to find someone whose skill set so perfectly matched the administrative needs of this new position,” said IACS Director Robert Harrison.
Although she initially wanted to be a lawyer, Jennifer said, “I took my first requisite course, which was Introduction to Psychology, and I was hooked.” She eventually graduated from Manhattan College with a BA in psychology, and she then went on to complete a master’s in career development followed by a PhD in industrial and organizational psychology. Her previous professional experiences include administrative leadership and human resources management within higher education settings at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
STRIDE (Science Training & Research to Inform Decisions) is an innovative training program that will provide STEM graduate students with the skills needed to assist, create, and eventually take the lead in translating complex data-enabled research into informed decisions and sound policies. Trainees will have the opportunity to undertake fully funded internships, a 15-credit advanced graduate certificate, communication courses from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science; peer-to-peer mentoring experiences; and much more. The end goal is to build a community of scientists who are ready to effectively communicate data to the public so informed decisions and sound policies can be made related to the complex and timely issues facing society in the fields of energy, environment and public health.
When asked what attracted her to the job, Jennifer said, “This position sounded like an ideal match for my degree combined with my past work history as well as a valuable opportunity to learn from future experiences. STRIDE is a great opportunity for scientists to learn to communicate their research, and I look forward to working with the students and helping them in their journey.”
Jennifer and her husband Patrick are natives of the Bronx, but when looking for a house for their new family, they decided to call Long Island home. Patrick is an SBU alumnus who did his undergraduate work at Stony Brook. He now works as the Assistant Director of Mental Health at Rikers Island. Together they have two children, ages five and seven.
For more information about the STRIDE program and to join our listserve, either to participate in our public events or to become a STRIDE trainee, you can visit the website, contact stride@stonybrook.edu, or email Jennifer directly at Jennifer.McCauley@stonybrook.edu.
PH: 631-632-4629 | FX: 631-632-4125 | iacs@stonybrook.edu