Author: NCFDD
Ahead of the start of our new Rethinking Your Research Funding course, we’re spotlighting the experts who helped shape the curriculum. Sabrina Noel, PhD, RD is one such brilliant mind, who brings years of research and faculty expertise to the course.
Sabrina is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she also serves as Director of the Center for Population Health, Director of the Health Assessment Laboratory, and ScD Graduate Program Coordinator within the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. She has also been actively involved with NCFDD, including recent participation in the Faculty Success Program.
In this Q&A, Sabrina shares how her funding experiences across NIH, foundations, and industry have shaped her approach to research, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and her advice for faculty navigating the challenges of today’s grant landscape.
Q: Could you walk us through one or two key grants that have shaped how you approach funding?
A: “Applying for NIH funding has been foundational for me. The process is lengthy—the review cycles, resubmissions, the waiting—but I’ve learned so much about grant writing and perseverance through those applications. NIH support has been the backbone of my lab, giving us the large-scale resources to sustain long-term projects.
At the same time, foundation grants have taught me something different. They are often smaller, but they really push you to think about application in a community setting and to align your work with the funder’s mission. And most recently, I secured an industry grant after a two-year process. That experience has been eye-opening—it expanded my thinking about research partnerships and how different funding streams can complement one another. Each type of funding has shaped my lab’s work in unique ways.”
Q: Congratulations on that new industry grant! Was there anything about the process that surprised you?
A: “What surprised me most was how much we had to pivot. The partner’s goals shifted over time, and we needed to stay flexible while keeping the integrity of our research. That kind of adaptation is different from what I’ve experienced with federal or foundation funding. It required more back-and-forth discussions, but ultimately it broadened the scope of our work, created new opportunities for collaboration, and led to a project that I’m genuinely excited about.”
Q: Is there anything you know now that you wish you had understood earlier in your career?
A: “I’ve learned to write for different audiences and to frame my projects in a different way for different audiences. Writing for the NIH is a very different style than a foundation, than an industry partner. The one thing I wish I had known is something someone told me about 4 years ago: always have a grant in the pipeline that you’re working on, even if it’s not going to get funded for a few years. Have that working in the background while you’re going for these other streams, and I think that that’s something I didn’t really learn until later in my career.
And another thing, do not get discouraged. I’ve learned to just keep trying, keep plugging away, and to think outside the box—how do you create partnerships, how do you build relationships? With NIH, that kind of connection usually happens only with the program officer. But with other grants, many opportunities have come through networking and relationship-building. Along the way, I’ve met wonderful people, built meaningful collaborations, and even had fun in the process.”
Q: What do you think institutions sometimes overlook when they’re trying to support faculty with this type of work?
A: “I think that the institutions aren’t thinking necessarily about the project itself and how much money and time it takes to run the project. There’s a lot of discussion right now about indirect costs and the costs that are on top of the project itself. But it takes a lot more than people think. There’s a lot of disconnect between the people who are doing the day-to-day research work versus the organizational level, the people that are approving or are responsible for processing the grants.
As researchers, you’re asked to be a scientist, a marketing person, a media person, you’re supposed to be a networker, you’re supposed to know how to write papers, write grants. It’s a really challenging position, and so having the backing of your institution to help you with some of these other pieces that you don’t know is crucial. How do you manage the money? How do you manage the pre-award? How do you manage the post-award? It is so much for one person.”
Q: You’ve also been connected with helping create NCFDD’s new grant funding course. What excites you about it?
A: “I think that, for me, the reason I was so happy to participate, is that I hope that it helps people to be more comfortable, and to have ideas to reduce stress, so that you can think about how you can diversify your funding streams, how you can support your teams and your staff, and do the research that you want to do. And I think what’s so great about this is that it is in one place, and is being delivered to people in a way of, ‘this is why this could be really helpful for you, and here are some tips, and how to do it.’
I don’t think a lot of people get the opportunity to have that kind of support. Honestly, I wish I had access to a course like this10 years ago, it would have been so helpful!”
Q: What would say to someone who is feeling overwhelmed with the process or the current funding landscape?
A: “I always, always think to myself, “when one door closes, another one opens.” There are reasons for everything, and you just have to be patient. Have patience, diversify so that all your eggs aren’t in one basket. And be calm in the process, and just know that at some point, if you have things in the pipeline, something will come through.
I had to learn to be patient. One of my NIH grants that is an R01 took more than 2 years to be funded. I had to hope that if I kept working at it and strengthening the proposal that it would eventually get funded.
If you continue to pursue different types of funding, you will become a better writer and, I think, an even better researcher!”
Rethinking Your Own Funding Journey
Sabrina’s insights illustrate the importance of persistence and adaptability in research funding. From NIH to foundations to industry partners, she has embraced a variety of funding streams to support both foundational research and applied projects. Her message for faculty is clear: refine, rethink, and keep going.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own funding journey, join us for the new Rethinking Your Research Funding course, where experts like Sabrina share strategies and insights to help you build a sustainable funding portfolio.
The inaugural course kicks off October 6, 2025. Registration is open now.