Meet the Team
Stephanie Sichler, CRA Director, Sponsored Projects Development
Stephanie leads pre-award strategy at NMT, focusing on opportunity fit, proposal planning, compliant budgets, and on-time submissions. She partners with faculty, centers, and institutes on single-PI and large, multidisciplinary efforts, and coordinates closely with SPA, OCAR, Compliance, and OIC to align terms, data, and reporting requirements. Stephanie holds an MBA from New Mexico State University and the Certified Research Administrator (CRA) credential. Before moving into sponsored research, she was the Director of Development for the College of Engineering at NMSU. Earlier in her career she served as Coalition Coordinator at the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, where she managed federal grants from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, her first hands-on experience navigating federal grant compliance, reporting, and community partnerships. Contact: stephanie.sichler@nmt.edu 575-835-6773
Primary federal outlooks: DOE Office of Science; advanced energy; cross-agency strategic initiatives and DOW
Support area (Departments): Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC — DOE portfolio); VP for Research; VP Academic Affairs; VP Admin & Finance; Sponsored Projects; Graduate Dean; Center for Technology Commercialization
Sara Grijalva, JD Pre-Award Negotiations Manager (SPA)
Sara brings rare legal expertise to research administration, her Juris Doctor gives her a distinct edge in interpreting sponsor terms, identifying risk, and negotiating agreements that protect NMT's interests and its researchers. She leads all pre-award agreement and award negotiations, including NDAs, MOUs/MLUs, MTAs/DUAs, teaming agreements, and subawards. Sara carefully aligns terms with sponsor policy, safeguards publication rights and intellectual property protections, addresses data security and export control requirements, and streamlines collaboration set-ups with both domestic and international partners. Faculty working with complex, multi-party, or industry-sponsored agreements will find her an exceptionally capable advocate at the table. Contact: Sara.Grijalva@nmt.edu 575-835-5382
Sarah Hendrickson Research Administrator
Sarah brings over ten years of research and development experience across energy, environmental, and materials science to her role supporting faculty across earth sciences, environmental research, engineering, and water resources programs at NMT. An NMT alumna with a Professional Master of Hydrology, her career spans hydrogeology consulting, water resources compliance, fuel cell catalyst manufacturing, and metrology and data integrity management at a clean energy startup. She has worked directly with DOE, DoD, and small business funding programs, contributed to pre-award proposal documentation, and led cross-functional teams through milestone reporting and budget justification processes. Sarah's interdisciplinary science background and firsthand experience navigating federal sponsor requirements make her a strong partner for faculty from proposal development through submission. Contact: sarah.hendrickson@nmt.edu 575-835-6940
Primary federal outlooks: NSF; USGS; DOE; water resources & technology; ecosystem & environmental research; defense engineering and manufacturing
Support area (Departments): New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources; Earth & Environmental Science; Civil Engineering; National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI); Magdalena Ridge Observatory – Initiative (MRO-I); Bureau of Mine Safety; Business and Technology Management; Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
Sheila O'Sullivan, JD Research Administrator
Sheila brings an unusually broad professional background to research administration, combining a Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law with over two decades of experience in medical technology, regulatory compliance, and safety investigations. Before joining NMT's Research Compliance Office as a Policy Analyst and Training Specialist in 2023, where she developed and delivered compliance policy and training across research programs. She practiced law independently for over a decade, advising clients on regulatory matters, healthcare law, disability law, and contract issues. Earlier in her career she held roles as a clinical chemistry technician, infection control officer, and safety officer at Loyola University Medical Center. This combination of legal expertise, scientific training, and institutional knowledge of NMT's compliance landscape positions her as a strong resource for faculty navigating complex federal requirements. Contact: sheila.osullivan@nmt.edu 575-835-6165
Primary federal outlooks: DOE; NSF; NIH; NASA; NRAO; USDA; AFRL; defense systems, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems
Support area (Departments): Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC - non-DOE portfolio); Chemistry; Chemical Engineering; Mineral Engineering; Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering; Biology; Physics; Langmuir Laboratory; Electrical Engineering; Computer Science & Engineering; Cybersecurity Center; Mechanical Engineering; AFRL STEM; Mathematics; CLASS; Auxiliaries; Campus Police; Center for Leadership & Engagement (AMP); Outreach; Upward Bound; Student Affairs; State Mine Safety
Vacant (New) Research Administrator -FAR-Based Awards
Supports proposal development and submission for sponsored awards and contracts under FAR-based requirements, with a focus on defense, national security, and homeland security programs. Coordinates institutional checks, required forms and approvals, and releases proposals for submission.
Primary federal outlooks: NSF; AFRL; DHS; DoD; defense, national security & homeland security; advanced computing; artificial intelligence; cybersecurity; space surveillance & autonomous systems
Support area (Departments): Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC); Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA); Playas Research and Training Center (PRTC); Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO)