Derek McLean

Derek McLean Ph.D

Dean and Director
  • Optimize life science, agricultural and natural resources, research capabilities of 40,000+ acres, 250+ research faculty, 4 research centers across the state and an annual budget of $80 million in grants and contracts
  • Interact with other administrative leaders on campus and across the country, as well as stakeholders, including commodity organizations, to help shape IANR's life and social science research agenda
  • Leverage the unique abilities within ARD for transdisciplinary, integrated research across basic, translational and applied sciences towards the demands of a quickly growing global population
  • Core Value Goals for the ARD Culture:
    • Transparency
    • Accountability
    • Collaboration
    • Excellence
    • Value of Feedback
    • Respect
    • Inclusiveness
Tala Awada

Tala Awada, Ph.D.

Associate Dean and Associate Director
  • Supports teams building, transdisciplinary research and high-profile teams;
  • Approves IANR internal/external applications for funding and outside activities reporting in NUgrant and NuRamp;
  • Administers the ARD Undergraduate Student Research competition grant program, the Graduate Students Fellowship program, the Larrick/Whitmore Graduate Student Travel Grants;
  • Administers the Faculty Hatch Capacity projects, the ARD Miscellaneous Strategic Funding, the ARD Bridge Funding, and IANR Faculty Travel Awards;
  • Serves as the administrative point of contact for Research in Activity Insight;
  • Serves on the UNL Federal Relations Team;
  • Serves on the UNL DEI Council;
  • Co-leads the LTAR – USDA Network in NE; and
  • Assists the Dean and Director, in conjunction with other ARD staff, in coordinating and facilitating IANR’s broad research mission and global engagement.
Héctor L. Santiago Anadón, Ph.D.

Héctor L. Santiago Anadón, Ph.D.

Assistant Dean and Assistant Director
  • Provides oversight for land resources and support for research infrastructure at IANR research, and integrated research and extension facilities, in coordination with departments and center directors
  • As part of this coordinated oversight, he leads the UNL Biotechnology Quality Management System (BQMS) program to maintain compliance with federal regulations for conducting research with regulated, genetically engineered crops, and he interfaces with the Greenhouse and Plant Phenotyping Committees
  • IANR liaison to Nebraska commodity boards, and coordinates Academic Program Reviews within IANR
  • Assists the Dean and Director, in conjunction with other ARD staff, in coordinating and facilitating IANR's broad research mission
Jared Evert

Jared Evert, M.S.

Finance and Operations Manager
  • Management Support for the ARD Deans
  • Integrating an all-funds approach for ARD's financial structure which is transparent, accountable, responsive, and inclusive
  • Responsible for managing, planning and organizing the internal financial operations of ARD
  • Implementation of sound financial planning tools, business analytics and financial controls
  • Strategically Manage Budgets for IANR and ARD Service Centers
  • Programmatic reporting for External Research Funding
  • Oversight of Office Operations and Staff
Jennifer McMahon

Jennifer McMahon

Data Management Specialist
  • Strategically Manage Programmatic Data and Internal/External Reporting
    • Commodity Boards
    • USDA Capacity Funds (Hatch, Multi-State, Animal Health, McIntire-Stennis)
    • USDA REEPORT/NRS
  • Biotechnology Quality Management System (BQMS) Support
  • Multi-state Committee Participation and Travel
  • Assist with Management of ARD Finances
Sandra Christofferson

Sandra Christofferson, M.S.

Project Management Specialist
  • Administrative project manager for the Agricultural Research Division (ARD)
    • Serve in a central advisory capacity for ARD Deans and faculty to coordinate and manage multiple research projects on business and grant administration matters
    • Assist ARD members and Principal Investigators to develop detailed project plans and coordinate activities to ensure successful completion of project goals
      • Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network (LTAR) & Beef Innovation, a Hub for Beef Excellence, currently
    • Supervise budget and re-budget management activities which use ARD funds
    • Oversee compliance with federal regulations, working with PIs to assist in bringing a transaction or activity into compliance
Eliana Gaitan-Solis

Eliana Gaitan-Solis, Ph.D.

Project Management Specialist
  • Administrative project manager for the Agricultural Research Division (ARD)
    • Serve in a central advisory capacity for ARD Deans and faculty to coordinate and manage multiple research projects on business and grant administration matters
    • Assist ARD members and Principal Investigators to develop detailed project plans and coordinate activities to ensure successful completion of project goals
      • REEU:Crop-To-Food Innovation Program, currently
    • Oversee compliance with federal regulations, working with PIs to assist in bringing a transaction or activity into compliance
photo of Brianne Wolf

Brianne Wolf, M.S.

Global Projects & Programs
  • Serve as a contact person for IANR’s global engagement information and inquiries
  • Track IANR global activity and international collaborations; develop and maintain global activity data base
  • Connect and mobilize internal and external assets for greater global impact, including faculty, staff, students and current or prospective partners
  • Communicate IANR’s global activities and impacts through various media and campus/community platforms
  • Engage key globally-interested IANR & NU stakeholders with IANR Global Huddle to strengthen existing and foster new partnerships
  • Serve as IANR liaison to the university-wide Global Nebraska Strategy Committee

Liana Calegare, Ph.D.

Global Programs Manager
  • Identifies opportunities for international collaboration through research, extension, and capacity building efforts; provides support for the formation of transdisciplinary teams to prepare project proposals.
  • Leads efforts to develop, implement, and coordinate federal funded capacity building programs, such as USDA-FAS Scientific Exchanges, Borlaug Fellowship, and Cochran Programs.
  • Leverage partnerships with Global Centers of Excellence in Agriculture and National and Global Networks.
  • Assists and coordinates visits of international delegations, with focus on connecting IANR faculty to visiting scientists in their area of interest.
  • Administers the International Impact Awards: FAPESP SPRINT, seed grants to implement and/or strengthen international collaborations, and travel awards.
Lauren Kruger

Lauren Kruger

Administrative Coordinator
  • Administrative Support for the ARD Deans and Staff
  • Event Planning, Scheduling and Special Projects
  • General Office Support and Primary Point-of-Contact
  • Manages ARD official social media accounts

Amy Kunce

Office Associate
  • Administrative support back-up
  • General office support back-up
  • Travel Coordination and Reimbursement
  • Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) contact
  • Special projects