By Bill Snyder
Heather Darling, PMP, senior program manager in the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, has been selected as a Future of the Field honoree by the Society of Research Administrators International.
SRA International provides education, professional development and the latest information about research management to professionals from more than 40 countries.
The Future of the Field program honors those who have demonstrated leadership in innovative ways that advance the field of research management. This year’s honorees will be recognized during the 2022 SRA International Annual Meeting Nov. 2-4 in Las Vegas.
“Heather has been an absolutely transformational leader in the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center,” said associate center director Robert Carnahan, PhD, professor of Pediatrics. “Her ability to operate seamlessly at the interface of science, administration, project coordination, and complex regulatory management while building a virtuous workplace is amazing.”
Darling began her career at Vanderbilt in 2009 as research assistant in the Center for Structural Biology Megalab with then center Director Walter Chazin, PhD, Chancellor’s Professor of Medicine and professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry.
In 2015, she joined the laboratory of Jens Meiler, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biomedical Informatics, as laboratory manager, transitioning to manager of research programs. In 2020 she received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.
For several years Darling worked closely with the administrative team in the laboratory of James Crowe Jr., MD, Ann Scott Professor, and director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center. She formally joined the center in April 2021.