Administrative Services

The PSC provides organizational, infrastructure, and administrative support for the advancement of interdisciplinary research, and training associated with that research, to further the scientific objectives of the PSC.

The administrative staff supports the day-to-day activities of the PSC in these main areas:

  • Business & Financial Services
  • Grants & Collaborative Research Support
  • Postdoctoral and Visitor Appointments
  • Coordination of the Graduate Group in Demography
  • Coordination of the Penn Population Studies Colloquium

 

Business & Financial Services - Primary contact: Mary Camuso

Meetings and Catering

  • Help organize conferences, workshops, meetings, luncheons, conference calls, and event catering
  • To book PSC space in McNeil, see the space page for details (reservation form & calendar)
  • To book McNeil Conference Room 435 or 458, see this reservation form.
  • Rooms can be reserved on your own or with help from staff online

 

Travel arrangements

  • Help arrange plane and train reservations
  • Make hotel/lodging reservations
  • Make and confirm restaurant reservations

 

Reimbursements

  • Prepare and track reimbursement documents for travel and entertainment
  • Prepare reimbursement documents for vendor invoice

 

Purchasing

  • Help with the purchase of general use and research supplies
  • Facilitate the purchase of computers, software and peripherals

 

Space management

  • Liaison with Sociology on space needs and management

 

Grants & Collaborative Research Support - Primary contact: Abby Dolinger

The PSC administrative staff helps with the development and management of sponsored research projects and liaisons with the McNeil Business Office in the submission of grant applications and in post-award grant management.  The Administrative staff is trained to work with a variety of funders and electronic submission systems including: Penn’s proposal development system, PennERA, NIH eRA Commons, Research.gov (NSF),  and non-governmental organizations and foundations. The staff monitors the postings of RFAs from the NIH and similar funding sources, identifies appropriate program scientists for specific applications, and posts information about funding opportunities in the newsletter. Pre- and post-award services are tailored to the needs of individual PIs and depend on the scope of research activities.

Pre-award grant-related services include:

  • Assistance with the creation of NIH, NSF, or sponsor-specific documents such as: NIH Biosketch, NIH Facilities and Other Resources document, NIH Equipment document, budget justification document, NIH Other Support document
  • Assistance with managing document collection, review of documents, and organization of documents
  • Proofreading and copyediting
  • Review of NIH MyBibliography publications

 

Post-award grant-related services include:

  • Purchasing project-related supplies
  • Assistance with paying project personnel
  • Assistance with annual progress reports

 

The PSC staff manage the annual Quartet Pilot Project Competition, which is jointly sponsored by The Pension Research Council and Boettner Center, the Leonard Davis Institute and Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), the Population Aging Research Center (PARC), and the Population Studies Center (PSC).

 

Postdoctoral and Visitor Appointments - Primary contact: Abby Dolinger

The PSC frequently hosts postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars who come to Penn to work with PSC Research Associates. Postdocs are typically recruited to work on a specific research project; visiting scholars typically come with their own funding. The administrative core is responsible for managing the appointment and reappointment process, onboarding (in conjunction with the McNeil Business Office), and space needs of postdocs and visiting scholars.

The PSC also frequently hosts international visitors and collaborators of PSC Research Associates, reflecting the Center’s international character. The Administrative staff provides important support for non-US citizens in obtaining J-1 visas in conjunction with the University’s Office of International Programs

 

Coordination of the Graduate Group in Demography - Primary contact: Dawn Ryan

The Graduate Group in Demography administers the Ph.D. program in demography. The Graduate Program Coordinator, Dawn Ryan, manages the administrative components of the Graduate Group in Demography under the direction of the Graduate Group Chair, Michel Guillot. Dawn Ryan assists with the following processes: recruitment, admissions, matriculation, program advising, program milestone achievement, student progress reporting and tracking, graduation, and program budgeting.

 

Coordination of the Penn Population Studies Colloquium - Primary contact: Dawn Ryan

The Penn Population Studies Colloquium, jointly run by the PSC and PARC, is coordinated by the staff. If you are interested in speaking at one of our colloquium sessions, please contact Emilio A. Parrado or Iliana V. Kohler. Contact Dawn Ryan if you are interested in meeting with the speaker.