College of Sciences Research and Facilities

Welcome! Research and Facilities are a cornerstone of the innovation that happens here at the College of Sciences (COS). As the Interim Associate Dean of Research and Facilities, I am focused on continuing to build on the progress we have made and supporting faculty, staff, and students to help us advance frontiers of knowledge through disciplines across the sciences.

We aim to provide a seamless process for researchers—from pre-award to post-award, as well as helpful guidelines and resources for both research and facilities for COS.

This website is a great reference point that should address many questions, including learning more about the processes and people connected to research and facilities. You are welcome to reach out to me if you have questions or concerns.

Below is an overview of the three areas within research and facilities:

COS Pre-Award assists faculty during the proposal submission process and helps identify resources to make our researchers more competitive, including managing several internal programs, including Red Team Review.

COS Post-Award supports faculty and staff acting as a liaison with other UCF offices to ensure smooth management of grants and contracts.

COS Facilities provides support to Faculty and Staff in all areas of Facilities & Safety, including classroom and lab safety, building access, property and inventory control, space utilization, renovation, and new construction.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, we are also developing new initiatives to grow research in COS.

COS Seed Grant Program will provide internal funding support for COS faculty. 2025-2026 Seed Grant Proposals are due Thursday December 18 by 5:00 EST to COSPreaward@ucf.edu. The program description, scoring rubric, and application requirements can be found here.

Thanks to all of the COS research faculty and staff who work relentlessly to answer important scientific questions and push the boundaries of discovery. We are grateful to support your work.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nichole Lighthall
Interim Associate Dean for Research and Facilities & Associate Professor of Psychology
nichole.lighthall@ucf.edu