I-RAISE
The Iowa Research Administration Internship Student Experience (I-RAISE) is a cross-institutional program designed to build a more robust regional research administration (RA) workforce for the future.
I-RAISE is led by Iowa State University. Partner institutions include Central College, Drake University, Dordt University, Simpson College, and the University of Northern Iowa. I-RAISE is a 4.5-year project supported by the National Science Foundation GRANTED program.
There is a growing demand for RA services among both research-intensive institutions, such as Iowa State, and emerging research institutions (ERIs), such as the I-RAISE partners.
I-RAISE prepares both undergraduate and graduate students through a classroom-based RA bootcamp and summer internship at Iowa State, followed by additional mentored internship rotations at each student’s home institution.
“Research Administration professionals are vital to the success of any research enterprise,” said Peter Dorhout, Iowa State Vice President for Research. “Students from Iowa colleges and universities are a promising source of talent for future RA positions across the state. We’re delighted to serve as the lead and host institution for I-RAISE. The program is helping us develop and keep talent here in Iowa while also bolstering the capacity for research and innovation within each partner institution and across the state.”
The deadline for student applications and mentor expression of interest are 5:00 pm, Friday, January 30, 2026.
Professional Societies
Becoming active in a professional society is a great way to build connections with colleagues and learn about job opportunities. Many societies also have discounted memberships and conference registrations for students and recent grads and may offer travel awards for conferences. Check out the below for job boards, discussion forums, email lists, and educational resources. Some materials are publicly available, while others are restricted to members or students/staff of member organizations.
- National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
- National Organization of Research Development Professionals
- Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI)
- Grant Professionals Association (GPA)
- GPA Central Iowa Chapter
- Advancing Research in Society (ARIS)
- Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
- University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP)
Additional Listservs, Discussion Boards, and Job Boards
Job Openings at I-RAISE Partners
- STAIR CARES (Collaborative Administration for Research Excellence Series)
This free interactive curriculum from Penn State STAIR (Skilled Training in Administration and Institutional Research) builds on the I-RAISE bootcamp to supplement your learning journey. - NCURA Online Learning
NCURA’s learning resources include many free YouTube presentations. Current Iowa State students can also access selected NCURA webinars for no cost through Workday Learning.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. OIA-2341945. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.