Administrative Assistant – Coon Group

The Organization

As an independent research organization, the Morgridge Institute for Research explores uncharted scientific territory to discover tomorrow’s cures. In affiliation with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we support researchers who take a fearless approach to advancing human health in emerging fields such as virology, advanced multi-scale fluorescence and electron microscopy, metabolism and regenerative biology. Through public programming, we work to inspire scientific curiosity in everyday life.

The Opportunity:

We are looking for an organized, upbeat person to keep a large, internationally recognized research group running smoothly. You will be the go-to person for scheduling, travel, events, purchasing and paperwork, working closely with the Principal Investigator (PI), lab members and Morgridge and UW–Madison staff. This is a great fit for a recent college graduate: we will train you on university systems and on how research is funded and run, and the job builds skills for a career in research administration, science operations, or graduate and professional school.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the PI’s calendar, help keep email organized, schedule meetings and respond to routine requests.
• Book travel and conference registrations, and prepare expense reports and reimbursements.
• Help with grant applications and reports by gathering documents from the team and collaborators and keeping track of deadlines, working with our grants staff.
• Help run our research center’s meetings and events, such as an annual advisory board meeting and training workshops.
• Plan visits for seminar speakers, job candidates and other guests, including schedules, rooms and meals.
• Keep track of requests for letters and award nominations, and keep the PI’s CV and publication lists up to date.
• Order supplies and equipment, follow up on orders and repairs, and ship materials to collaborators.
• Help new lab members get started (workspace, building access, accounts, trainings) and keep basic lab records, such as safety protocols and freezer space, up to date.
• Update the group’s websites.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements:

Required: a bachelor’s degree, or an associate degree with relevant work experience. Experience from internships, student jobs, research labs or volunteer roles counts. You are highly organized and detail-oriented, write clearly and professionally, are comfortable with everyday software (Word, Excel, Outlook, Google Workspace) and eager to learn new tools, including AI assistants, and can handle confidential information with good judgment.

Nice to have, but not required: experience in a university, laboratory or office setting, or familiarity with research and grants. We will provide training.