The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce the recipients of the Exceptional Research Service Awards, presented at the STRIVE Awards and Recognition Brunch held on International Research Administrator Day. Our four 2025 awardees demonstrate a commitment to advancing excellence in research administration and technical research support.
Rookie of the Year Award
Shelby Mills is a pre-award specialist in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC). In the year since she joined the University of South Carolina, she has been instrumental in identifying opportunities for improvement in the MCEC Office of Research, redesigning a weekly funding newsletter and monthly red review newsletter to streamline communication and improve faculty engagement. Mills has developed several guides and checklists clarifying sponsor requirements, creating a simplified proposal process for faculty that allows for smoother and timelier submissions with fewer compliance issues. She is collaborative and committed to growth and professionalism, participating in the STRIVE Tiered Program and Nation Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) training sessions.
The Rookie of the Year Award honors an individual early in their career who has made an immediate and significant impact in research administration at USC. This award recognizes emerging talent and perseverance.
Excellence in Research Administration Award
Jessica Stucker is a sponsored programs administrator in the Office of Sponsored Awards Management. She has helped the Department of Health Services and Policy Management at the Arnold School of Public Health navigate various aspects of the federal funding landscape, including guiding a PI through the process of receiving funding for an R24 grant that was terminated in March. She then guided the process of reinstatement of NIH funds, which were restored in June. She has also helped manage active R01 grants involving foreign collaborators and subrecipients that have experienced multiple revisions required under new regulations, and her institutional knowledge, experience and professionalism are invaluable assets to her team.
The Excellence in Research Administration Award honors an individual who demonstrates sustained achievement, professionalism and dedication in advancing research at USC. This award recognizes individuals whose exemplary service and expertise significantly enhance the success of research activities.
Leadership in Research Administration Award
Lauren Clark, Ph.D. is director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. In her three years with the office, she has demonstrated exemplary leadership, recognizing the need for a comprehensive system to capture student engagement and enhancing the process of data documentation and assessment. Clark has built strong cross-campus partnerships with faculty, staff, students and administrators to advance collectives strengths of the USC research community. She has led Discover USC since it began in 2017 and was responsible for guiding the consolidation of three legacy events, Discovery Day, Graduate Student Day and Medical Scholarship Day of Focus. Clark’s guidance was key in navigating logistical challenges when Discover USC was cancelled in 2020, hosted virtually in 2021 and resumed as an in-person in 2022. Her work was instrumental in reaching milestone attendance in 2025, with over 3,300 participants.
The Leadership in Research Administration Award honors an individual who demonstrates visionary leadership, mentorship and influence in advancing the field of research administration at USC.
Excellence in Professional Research Staff Award
Kia Zellars is the manager of the Laboratory of Zoonotic and Vector-borne Diseases, led by epidemiology associate professor Melissa Nolan in the Arnold School of Public Health. She began her time at USC in 2011 with Frank Spinale’s research group, where her work performing quantitative analysis on microRNAs was critical in developing diagnostic and prognostic models for heart failure patients and has yielded several high-impact publications and a patent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she converted the microRNA robotic facility to identify the virus in saliva samples before rapid point of care testing was available to the public. Her commitment to fostering the growth and professional development of lab members set her mentees up to succeed in gaining tenure-track faculty positions with their own labs. Zellars demonstrates a desire for continued growth through her participation in the STRIVE Tiered Program, STRIVE Mentoring and CRA study hall.
The Excellence in Professional Research Staff Award celebrates exceptional technical research staff working in academic units who directly support the hands-on work of faculty researchers.