RDO
Join our team as a Research Development Specialist or Senior Research Development Specialist. Love strategy, writing, and making great science competitive? Help Stanford's climate and sustainability researchers take proposals from concept to submission. Apply by September 21 for full consideration.
For details and to apply, visit the Stanford career website. Check out the RDO Team Activities page to learn more about us.
The Stanford Research Development Office (RDO) is a team of six dedicated professionals with experience in PhD-level research, academic administration, and professional editing. RDO aims to strengthen research, scholarship, and creative activities by setting up Principal Investigators (PIs) for sponsored research funding success. We provide proposal development support from conceptualization through submission, including editing and project management support. Our team also oversees VPDoR’s financial proposal support programs and, in collaboration with the School of Medicine, manages Limited Submissions for the university.
RDO’s goal is to enhance the competitiveness of proposals while reducing the burden on PIs. We support researchers and research teams across the university, with an emphasis on complex or strategic proposals. Please reach out to us if you’re applying for extramural funding. Even if we’re not the right office to support you, we can help you figure out where to start.
Our support for large, collaborative, center-type proposals is ongoing. Let us know how we can help!
[RDO] offers indispensable complementary support to the plentiful resources that Stanford already provides to faculty around campus for the preparation of grants.
Emily Levine, Associate Professor of Education and, by courtesy, of History
Research development encompasses a variety of strategic, capacity-building, and hands-on proposal support activities. Our team provides services tailored to meet the needs of PIs along each stage of developing their proposal.
The table below illustrates common support activities; this is not an exhaustive list. For more information about our services, including consultations, proposal development support, and more, see our services tab. We also provide financial support for proposals via VPDoR-Managed funding programs.
Contact us at stanford_rdo@stanford.edu to discuss your project and how we can help.
The Research Development Office made it possible to apply for a complex traineeship grant on an extremely tight timeline; they were an invaluable resource in understanding grant agency priorities and how to meet them within the Stanford ecosystem, and in connecting me to external resources when necessary.
Jon Simon, Associate Professor of Physics and Applied Physics
Assistant Director of Research Development for Program Design (STEM* focus)
Senior Program Manager for Limited Submissions and VPDoR Internal Awards
TBD
Research Development Specialist (STEM* focus with special emphasis on Sustainability)
Assistant Director of Research Development for the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences
* Includes Social Sciences as in NSF’s broader definition of STEM and is used more to indicate the breadth of disciplines supported rather than to restrict the domains that would receive support.
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. RDO’s staff goes above and beyond to make that difference!
Tiziana Vanorio, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and, by courtesy, of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of Geophysics
RDO publishes newsletters on limited submissions competitions, arts and humanities funding, and general research development updates.
RDO assists with a variety of proposal types for external funders, including those to federal agencies, foundations, corporations, and other types of sponsors. We focus our efforts on proposals where we can add the most value:
In addition, we can also consult on resubmissions or help answer questions related to grant writing and funding strategies.
* These could be proposals that involve multiple PIs, multiple disciplines, large award amounts, or that expand or transform a unit’s capabilities, or that are considered of high impact in a given field. (The definition of a large dollar amount will vary by discipline.)
See our Services tab and FAQs for more details, and please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We support Principal Investigators and their proposal-writing teams. We serve PIs from all schools and coordinate with local research development support in schools and units, when available. If applicable, PIs in the Schools of Medicine will be referred to research development services from the School of Medicine Proposal Development Office or unit-specific support.
While we do not have the bandwidth to offer one-on-one support to postdocs or students on their applications, all are welcome to browse our website for resources and tips.
For more details, see our FAQs.
RDO focuses on the concept/text side of proposals, complementing other pre-award services such as research administration. See “Related Offices” for more information.
Created: 03/23/21
Updated: 09/10/26