Dr. Gretchen Kiser is a research development professional with a strong foundation in academic research and the biotech industry, as well as 20 years-experience on the administrative side of the research enterprise. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and as a Fellow and former President of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals, is a recognized expert in research development, team science, program development and management, faculty development, strategic planning, and technical writing. She works in partnership with individual faculty members, teams of researchers, external cross-sector stakeholders and institutional leadership and administrators to develop and implement strategies that increase institutional competitiveness, attract research funding, and foster innovation. 

As the Executive Director of the Research Development Office (RDO) at UCSF, Dr. Kiser also oversees a team that supports several programmatic areas: providing intra- and inter-institutional collaboration and large grant proposal development support; managing intramural funding competitions (RAP as well as others) and limited submission nominee selection (LSP); supporting training grants through the associated T32 trainee tracking system (3TS); as well as facilitating and supporting faculty development and campus strategic initiatives.