Research and Sponsored Programs

As the Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs at Hofstra University, Sofia Kakoulidis manages all pre-award activities relating to sponsored programs administration, including: serving as liaison for all sponsored programs matters involving PIs, academic and administrative units, federal and non-federal sponsors, and collaborating institutions; identifying sources of government, corporate and foundation support for faculty, administrators and broad-based institutional projects; ensuring all University policies and sponsor regulatory requirements are addressed at all phases of sponsored programs administration; interacting with a broad range of sponsors from both the public and private sector; reviewing and negotiating sponsored programs grants and contracts; and advising faculty on intellectual property issues and technology transfer activities. Sofia also serves as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Administrator and is a member of the Special Committee on Environmental Safety.

Sofia is an active member of the National Council for University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI). She has moderated a panel discussion relating to the challenges and solutions in electronic research administration at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) at the annual NCURA conference and has participated in various discussion forums.

Professional Background

In 1994, Sofia began her career in sponsored programs administration when she joined Hofstra’s Office for Research and Sponsored Programs as Grants Coordinator. In 1996, she was promoted to Senior Grants Associate; in 2001 she was promoted to Assistant Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs and, in 2003, she served as Acting Associate Provost, and was selected to serve as Associate Provost in 2004. In December 2020, she was promoted to Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs. Prior to joining Hofstra, Sofia served as regional marketing coordinator for graduate programs at Kaplan Test Prep.

Sofia earned both a B.B.A in Marketing (1991) and an M.B.A. in International Business (1996) from Hofstra University.

As the Assistant Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs at Hofstra University, Alice Diaz-Bonhomme provides pre-award and non-financial post-award administration for a diverse portfolio of sponsored research projects. She is responsible for the review and submission of proposals, contract negotiation and facilitates award acceptance. Alice offers administrative guidance to faculty and department administrators to ensure compliance with sponsor guidelines and applicable federal regulations. She also coordinates and presents grant development workshops for the Hofstra community.

Before joining the ORSP team, Alice served as a departmental grants manager for the Physics Department at New York University providing cradle-to-grave support and managing post award financial activities for all federal and foundation awards. Experienced in grant administration across the sponsored research lifecycle, Alice serves as a liaison with faculty, departmental administrators and all federal, foundation and local sponsors.

As a grant writer for Hofstra’s Office for Research and Sponsored Programs, Myra Kogen assists faculty from across the curriculum with developing grant proposals. She supports faculty in editing and structuring their proposals, working with them on all stages of the writing process from brainstorming, to organizing, to composing, to following sponsor guidelines, to revising and editing. Myra often works with teams of faculty and aids with establishing connections across disciplines and with other universities, school systems and business organizations.

Professional Background

Previously, as long-time Director of the Brooklyn College Learning Center, Myra oversaw a laboratory with 150 peer tutors who worked with college students on assignments in writing, mathematics, science, computer science, business and other courses. She was in charge of summer bridge programs, trained instructors and taught graduate courses in writing and literature. Myra also worked directly on projects funded by NSF, FIPSE, Title III, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the New York State Department of Education, and NEH. She also published a number of books and articles on writing instruction and collaborative learning.

Annemarie is a Senior Support Specialist in the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs, where she works closely with the Vice Provost and Assistant Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs providing administrative assistance. Annemarie manages electronic data for the office, generating reports as necessary and maintaining the files of awards, proposals, and contracts. She also assists in coordinating various meetings, conferences, and workshops. In addition, Annemarie provides administrative support to Hofstra’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), coordinating committee meetings, preparing meeting minutes, and communicating IRB determinations to researchers.

Before joining the ORSP team in 2017, Annemarie served as a digital marketing manager for seven years, where she performed analysis of all marketing campaigns, maintained social media presence, assisted in the content creation process, and provided customer service. She also worked at North Shore University Hospital from 1994-2007 as an administrative assistant, where she implemented and maintained electronic databases, processed insurance appeals, and provided administrative support to the director of Patient Financial Services.