Mani is a Research Development Manager, based in the Research and Enterprise Directorate. Mani helps researchers develop their research proposals to secure grant funding.

Background

Mani holds a Doctorate degree in Biochemistry and a Masters degree in Biology from the University of Oxford, and has also worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Imperial College London where he researched RNA polymerase transcription control.

Mani has also worked as an International Strategy Officer at the University of Cambridge, and as a Partnerships Officer at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Both of these roles focussed on the development of institutional partnerships, including both research and educational collaborations, with a variety of external partners from other HEIs, industry, government, and non-governmental bodies in the UK and internationally. Due the geographical remit and line management duties, these posts provided Mani with a wide breadth of experience of supporting research and partnership development in world-leading research environments.

Mani joined Queen's as Research Development Manager supporting the Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Sciences in 2017. 

Find out more about Mani's career on his LinkedIn Profile.

Current roles and responsibilities

Mani’s current role as Research Development Manager requires him to support academics from the Faculties of Medicine, Health & Life Sciences (MHLS) and Engineering & Physical Sciences (EPS) in developing research proposals to secure grant funding.

In this role, Mani manages a small team of Research Development Officers and support staff who provide crucial support mechanisms along the bid development pathway, including identifying suitable funding opportunities for specific research agendas, liaising with funders to understand funder priorities and aims, and communicating these findings with researchers in the University.

The team offers specialist advice as researchers develop funding bids, guiding applicants through the nuances of what are often lengthy and highly complex application processes, along with support mechanisms such as internal peer review and mock interviews.

Mani’s academic background helps in his understanding of the research proposals and also helps instil confidence in the researchers that he assists. In addition, Mani also has a thorough understanding of the key funders' long-term funding principles, aspirations and priorities, and an in-depth knowledge of their funding schemes and requirements.

Contribution to specific research initiative or project

In 2019 Queen's made a commitment to attracting and nurturing high-quality Early Career Researchers via the establishment of a new Fellowship Academy. It was proposed that the Academy would provide comprehensive support for ECRs recruited through internal fellowship schemes and staff holding specified external fellowships.

Since then, Mani has played a role in the activities of the Academy, leading on certain aspects of its development and day-to-day running. Mani works closely with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, who leads the Academy, and with colleagues in Organisational Development, Recruitment, Finance and all three Faculties.

The Academy’s successes in winning prestigious external fellowships are evidenced by the number of recent ECR awards that Queen's has secured since its launch in January 2020. In the two years since then, Queen’s has received 16 early career fellowships from within the Academy's remit totalling over £9.2M in new research income.

As Research Development Manager, Mani supported a number of these applications, providing in-depth bid support and mock interview practice to candidates. In addition, as a member of the team which manages the day-to-day running of the Academy, Mani has made contributions on various aspects of its regular functioning such as defining eligibility criteria, managing certain budget streams, and troubleshooting issues as they arise, which are only to be expected in the early days of any large and complex new initiative.

It is important to Mani to be a part of the Academy team, which makes direct and vital contributions towards the achievement of the University's Research & Innovation Strategy goals, and to the People First strategy of providing differentiated support to staff who play key roles in achieving the institution's strategic priorities.