Career Panel – Research Development Profession

Ever wonder what is research development (RD) and how your training has prepared you to enter this dynamic and growing profession? Looking to use your “academic” and other skill sets in new and exciting ways to enable innovative research at Stanford and beyond?

Join a Panel Discussion with Research Development Professionals! 

September 21, 2026 @ 2-3PM (zoom)

Register [ Click Here]

What is Research Development? 

Research Development activities can include Strategic Research Advancement; Communication of Research and Research Opportunities; Enhancement of Collaborative/Team Science; and Proposal Support Functions. Learn More.

Stanford has a community of practice for Research Development called RD Community @ Stanford. Learn More.

Are you a postdoc? Consider applying to the RD Postdoc Certificate. Learn More.

Meet the Moderator:

Stevie Eberle, MEd began their tenure at BioSci Careers in 2008 developing curricula and resources for all biosciences trainees to explore and define a path toward their own careers of choice. In their 20+ years of professional experience, they have found that their passion is helping others find and follow theirs. Stevie helps trainees with all aspects of professional/career development, and they are especially interested in issues of gender and diversity in the workplace. Stevie holds an M.Ed in counseling.

Meet the Panelists:

Heike Schmidlin, PhD, is a Proposal Development Specialist in the Stanford School of Medicine’s Proposal Development Office (PDO). She advises faculty on multi-PI, large-scale proposals, specializing in complex initiatives such as NIH Center grants and ARPA-H programs. Heike holds a PhD in Immunobiology from the University of Amsterdam and brings over 15 years of life sciences industry experience across biotech innovation consulting, clinical operations management, and medical advisory roles. Over the past decade, she has successfully secured major US and EU grant funding for numerous life science and green technology R&D projects.

Megan Mayerle, PhD, is Associate Director at the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine at Stanford University, where she oversees four core technology resource centers and leads research operations, communications, and analytics functions. She previously served as Associate Director of Research Development, Finance, and Administration at the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology. Megan holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Johns Hopkins and was a postdoc at UCSF before transitioning to research development.

Justin Crest, PhD is Associate Director of Team Science in Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University. Justin is an experienced research scientist who has a passion for collaborative team science. He has recieved support from NIH, W.M. Keck, and the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation for his multidisceplenary projects. At Stanford, he facilitates faculty and trainees to strategically position their grants and research goals in order to maximize funding success, while also encouraging new collaborative research within Pediatrics and campus-wide.

Madison Priest, PhD is Assistant Director of Research Development for the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences at Stanford University. She leads and implements the Stanford Research Development Office’s services for these fields, supporting faculty with proposal development and funding strategy through 1:1 consultations, long-term proposal support, writing workshops, and events. Madison received her PhD in English from the CUNY Graduate Center, where, in addition to her coursework and research, she taught undergraduate writing courses and worked with faculty and students as an Instructional Technology Fellow. Between graduating and starting at Stanford, Madison also worked as a grant writer at a local nonprofit, where she secured significant federal, state, and foundation funding.

Albina Ibrayeva, MS, PhD is the Director of Scientific Portfolio at the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience. She brings a strong scientific background and extensive experience in coordinating research priorities and fostering cross-functional collaborations. In her role, Albina helps advance the Initiative’s mission by shaping the scientific portfolio and identifying new opportunities aligned with the Knight Initiative goals. Albina earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and most recently completed her postdoctoral training here at Stanford, where she focused on neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration. Albina completed the RD Certificate for Postdocs.