Amanda Chang has been contributing to research at Carolina for 18 years.
Amanda Chang has worked for UNC-Chapel Hill in a variety of roles, most recently as director of operations in the Office of Sponsored Programs within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
What brought you to Carolina?
I’ve worked for the UNC System twice. The first time was in case management supporting nurses who reviewed patient care plans at UNC Hospitals. Then, I spent over a decade in the private sector working in retail and insurance services. While I had rewarding experiences in those roles, I never felt a sense of purpose or community. Friends who worked at the University encouraged me to make a career change and return to state service.
I applied and interviewed for an executive assistant role in the School of Medicine’s Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and connected with the leadership, staff, and research trainees. Accepting that position marked the beginning of my Carolina journey in support of research and education. It was one of the best career decisions I have ever made.
How has your role here changed over the years?
While working in the School of Medicine from 2007 to 2017, I wore many hats. As an executive assistant, I provided administrative support to department chairs, faculty, postdocs, and students and managed facilities and equipment. When I became the development and communications director, I developed websites and communications, organized events, managed grants and budgets, fundraised for development, and recruited and trained teams.
I established a strong connection with both the department chair and the business manager, who provided me with excellent mentorship. Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet and support Terry Magnuson, who became the Vice Chancellor for Research. This connection ultimately led me to join the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
In 2017, I became the assistant director of operations for OSP and advanced to director in 2022. In my current role, I draw on my previous experiences to manage operations for OSP, which provides proposal and award management services to externally sponsored research teams. Our office ensures compliance with proposal applications; accepts and sets up awards in our research administration and financial systems; collaborates with other central research support offices, departments, principal investigators, and sponsors on grant management and reporting; and facilitates award closeout. The operations team at OSP works with all units involved in these processes by managing intake and service requests, communications, hosting trainings and events, managing websites and systems, and performing any other necessary tasks to support our office, campus, and sponsors.
What’s kept you at Carolina?
Staying here has largely been about finding a sense of purpose and fulfillment in my work. I genuinely care about the people I partner with and the relationships I’ve built with my colleagues. These connections foster a supportive and collaborative environment that I deeply value. While I could potentially do the same work elsewhere, my home and family are firmly rooted in North Carolina.
And my work at Carolina is far from finished! I am eager to continue supporting our researchers and research administrators in advancing discoveries at Carolina. It’s truly a privilege to be a small part of the research and education that benefits our local and state communities. This sense of belonging and the opportunity to make a positive impact keep me motivated and engaged in what I do.
What contribution are you most proud of?
My memorable moments come from both successes and failures. I feel excited when my efforts positively impact people or processes, and I’m grateful for the lessons learned from failures or challenges I’ve overcome. What inspires and motivates me is enhancing the experiences of the people and offices at our institution, enabling them to perform their roles more effectively and efficiently. Whether it’s relocating entire labs, developing resources like websites or trainings, leading teams, or implementing and enhancing systems, I’m proud to be a contributing member of Carolina.
What is a uniquely Carolina experience you’ve had?
Despite not being very athletic or sports-minded, some of my most memorable experiences have been celebrating March Madness with my colleagues. I remember the first time I was asked to help select “brackets.” I mistakenly went searching for wall brackets to hang up a poster board with all the team names.
To this day, I’m still not adept at selecting team brackets, but my enthusiasm has always been more about the people and community coming together to share their passion and excitement for the teams and competition, rather than the games themselves. Whether we’re celebrating victories or facing tough losses, the bonds we form while cheering on our athletes highlight the strong sense of hope and purpose that is uniquely part of the Carolina identity and community.
Rooted recognizes long-standing members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who have aided in the advancement of research by staying at Carolina. They are crucial to the UNC Research enterprise, experts in their fields, and loyal Tar Heels. Know someone we should feature? Nominate a researcher.