If there were a superpower tailor-made for the world of contracts and grants, Emily Gardner already has it \u2014 minus the cape. She\u2019s 大象传媒 Radiology\u2019s resident pre-award research administrator and unofficial office energy source, known for juggling the chaos of new grant submissions with a smile, a laugh, and maybe a little dance in her step.<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s journey to 大象传媒 Radiology feels like a homecoming in more ways than one. Born in North Carolina and raised as a Tar Heel loyalist, her 大象传媒 roots run deep \u2014 her grandmother once worked on campus cleaning out mice cages in a research lab. Young Emily would tag along and wander the halls, soaking in the buzz of campus life. Years later, she\u2019s back \u2014 only now, she\u2019s the one helping others make research magic happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started at 大象传媒 about seven years ago and moved into Radiology full-time three years ago,\u201d she says. But really, she\u2019s been part of the Carolina family much longer. \u201cMy dad and his brothers all worked at the hospital. My uncle went to med school here. It just felt\u2026 natural.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before jumping into research administration, Emily spent 17 years as a full-time stay-at-home mom \u2014 and yes, she\u2019s very clear that this was\u00a0absolutely<\/em>\u00a0a full-time job. Between leading the PTA and running a side business staging homes for realtors, she never exactly slowed down. \u201cThere was never a dull moment,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBut I\u2019ve always loved helping people meet their goals \u2014 and that\u2019s what I still get to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n Her role in pre-award administration is a bit like being the gatekeeper to research success \u2014 working with faculty to get new funding in place, making sure proposals follow all the rules, and keeping things (mostly) on track amidst the moving pieces. \u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d she says, \u201cPeople think of contracts and grants as dry, but I find it fascinating. No two days are the same. And I\u00a0love<\/em>\u00a0that the answer to so many questions is, \u2018it depends.\u2019 I lean into the chaos. That\u2019s where I thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds with a grin, \u201cPost-award people want everything in a tidy box. Pre-award folks? We live in the mess. And I love that.\u201d<\/p>\n “Emily is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Pre-Award management and the intricacies of the ever-changing processes and requirements from the university and the sponsor side,” says Blair Allen, Business Operations Manager. “Emily takes great pride in being relied on by our growing group of research faculty and is always ready to help. Emily has been a key driver behind the major growth of our research portfolio and presence in Radiology over the past several years, and we are so lucky to have her in our department!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you ever find yourself emailing Emily at 9 p.m. and wondering if she\u2019s still working \u2014 she might be. Pre-award requires behind-the-scenes effort that often goes unnoticed. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of reading guidelines, triple-checking submissions, making sure the T\u2019s are crossed. But the best part is the people. I really enjoy hearing about what\u2019s going on in their lives, not just the work.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, one of her favorite work memories was a Zoom meeting during the height of COVID. A faculty member joined with a newborn on her shoulder. \u201cShe was so apologetic \u2014 but it was beautiful. We\u2019re all juggling so much but still showing up for each other. That\u2019s what I love.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with Emily has been an absolute pleasure,” says Kristen Tignor, Finance Manager. “She\u2019s incredibly helpful, consistently friendly, and always willing to lend her expertise. Emily is not only highly knowledgeable and responsive, but also remarkably flexible, adapting quickly to changing circumstances and needs in the research space. She puts forth considerable effort to stay informed on institutional\/sponsor policy updates and grant submission requirements, which has been a tremendous asset to our Radiology team. Her contributions are critical to our success, and we\u2019re truly fortunate to have her.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Quirky, Loyal, Determined \u2014 and Maybe a Little Broadway?<\/strong><\/p>\n Emily describes herself in one word:\u00a0quirky.<\/em>\u00a0Her best friend describes her in three:\u00a0funny, determined, and loyal.<\/em>\u00a0And if she had to title her autobiography? \u201cI Don\u2019t Know.\u201d (We\u2019d read that, by the way.)<\/p>\n Once upon a time, Emily dreamed of Broadway. A self-proclaimed big fish in the small pond of Mebane, NC, she poured her heart into ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and gymnastics. \u201cI was convinced I\u2019d be Annie,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBut then I went to a dance camp with Alvin Ailey dancers and realized… okay, I\u2019m good. But not\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0good.\u201d<\/p>\n Her Broadway dreams gave way to a biology degree plan \u2014 until she hit the math requirements. (\u201cNo thank you.\u201d) She found her true academic love in English, and to this day, her college books \u2014 dog-eared, highlighted, full of scribbled notes \u2014 still sit proudly on her shelves.<\/p>\n Outside the Office: Band Mom Life, Ulta Hauls, and Teleportation Dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n Emily is a mom of four \u2014 with kids ranging from middle school to college \u2014 and spends most weekends racing from band competitions to family activities. \u201cThey keep us busy. It\u2019s a full-time life.\u201d<\/p>\n In her rare downtime, you\u2019ll find her relaxing with friends, obsessing over books (she\u2019s a self-declared book hoarder), or choosing the perfect Ulta gift for her bestie. \u201cThe worst is giving someone a gift they won\u2019t love,\u201d she insists. \u201cI pride myself on getting it right. Ulta or Sephora? I got you.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s also a proud dog\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0cat person, with one pup and two feline friends at home. \u201cI refuse to choose. I love them all equally!\u201d<\/p>\n And if she could have any superpower? No question: teleportation. \u201cI want to blink and be on campus. Or blink and be at the beach. Traveling just takes up too much time. I want that time back!\u201d<\/p>\n A Little Magic and a Lot of Heart<\/strong><\/p>\n Emily\u2019s energy is infectious, her work ethic unmatched, and her passion for helping others is what truly sets her apart. Whether she\u2019s wrangling deadlines, troubleshooting grant guidelines, or reminiscing about \u201cAnnie\u201d and Mrs. Weasley\u2019s magical cleaning spells, one thing is clear: she brings heart \u2014 and humor \u2014 to everything she does.<\/p>\n So next time you pass her in the hallway or shoot her an email about a grant, just know: behind that cheerful tone is a dance-loving, detail-crushing, wand-wishing wizard of research who\u2019s probably already three steps ahead \u2014 and loving every minute of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If there were a superpower tailor-made for the world of contracts and grants, Emily Gardner already has it \u2014 minus the cape. She\u2019s 大象传媒 Radiology\u2019s resident pre-award research administrator and unofficial office energy source, known for juggling the chaos of new grant submissions with a smile, a laugh, and maybe a little dance in her … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":5550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[83,91,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-department-news","category-homepage-news","category-in-the-news","odd"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/ADM_GardnerEmily_web.jpg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/ADM_GardnerEmily_web-300x300.jpg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/ADM_GardnerEmily_web-768x768.jpg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/ADM_GardnerEmily_web-1024x1024.jpg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/03\/ADM_GardnerEmily_web-150x150.jpg","featured_image_alt":"Emily Gardner headshot. 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She is wearing an open-collar, long-sleeve black button-down.","category_details":[{"name":"Department News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/"},{"name":"Homepage News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/homepage-news\/"},{"name":"IN THE NEWS","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/in-the-news\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7816"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7819,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7816\/revisions\/7819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}