When the Society of Research Administrators International named Samantha Lind one of its 2026 Future of the Field honorees, the recognition placed her among emerging leaders in research administration.
Lind, supervisor of Sponsored Projects Administration at Boise State University’s Division of Research and Economic Development, works in post-award research administration for the Office of Sponsored Programs. Her team manages portfolios of sponsored project accounts, helping with costs, invoicing, financial reporting and compliance.
Success, from Lind’s perspective, means researchers can keep their attention on their work.
“A success from our point of view would be that the PI didn’t even know we were there, or that there were any problems, because their grant’s fully paid for, we’re fully in compliance, all the reporting was done, and they didn’t even have to think about it,” Lind said.
Lind finds purpose at Boise State
Lind came to Boise State in 2017 after working for a software-as-a-service company serving investment managers. She saw similarities between that work and research administration, but felt disconnected from the company’s mission. She wanted her work to contribute to something she valued.
She found that connection at Boise State.
“I feel proud to work for the university. When people ask where you work, I like telling them.”
Samantha Lind
Lind points to the university’s work with students and researchers as part of that pride. During the interview, she also recalled Boise State’s recognition by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s most innovative universities. Boise State was the only Idaho institution and one of three in the Northwest named to the 2025 Most Innovative Schools list.
Through research administration, Lind works with faculty conducting research across the university. When a new award arrives, she likes to ask principal investigators about the research itself and learn what they hope to accomplish.
“You kind of follow the life cycle, and you help these PIs,” she said. “They’re doing really interesting stuff.”
Future of the Field recognizes emerging leaders
The Society of Research Administrators International created the Future of the Field program to recognize research administrators with fewer than 15 years in the profession who are contributing to their institutions and the field. Candidates are considered for their leadership, influence on others, institutional and professional contributions and vision for the future of research administration.
Lind’s responsibilities have grown since she joined Boise State. She began as a sponsored projects administrator in 2017 and became a senior administrator before moving into her current supervisory position. Today, she supervises and trains members of the Post Award team, manages sponsored projects and provides training within the Office of Sponsored Programs and across campus.
When asked what she is most proud of in her career, Lind focused on the people she supervises. She finds satisfaction in helping team members answer questions, make judgment calls and build confidence in their own expertise, an emphasis she also identified in her Future of the Field profile.
She credits leaders at Boise State with helping shape her own approach to supervision. Trust matters to Lind, and she describes it as a “two-way street” between supervisors and their teams.
Helping researchers manage sponsored projects
Each sponsored project has its own timeline and requirements. Lind’s team monitors costs and payroll within award periods, answers questions about whether purchases are allowable and handles invoicing and financial reporting to sponsors. The team also reviews costs, cost transfers and payroll corrections and manages other compliance requirements.
Those decisions can require staff to consider federal guidance, Boise State policy and the terms and conditions of an individual award. The time between those stages can vary considerably, making it difficult for researchers to know who to contact when they have questions.
Lind aims to make that process easier to understand.
“Demystifying that for them, helping them figure out who they talk to when they have these problems, connecting them with resources and doing preventative outreach is something I like to do.”
That interest has led Lind toward training and communication in addition to her work managing awards. She sees opportunities to give researchers information earlier, connect them with the right people and answer questions before they become larger problems.
Building the future of research administration
Lind expects research administration to continue changing. During her years at Boise State, she has worked through a new financial system, changes to invoicing and file management, the transition to remote work and evolving sponsor requirements. Artificial intelligence is now raising new questions about how administrative work may change.
For Lind, responding to change is part of the profession.
“You always have to be adaptable.”
Her own goals have also become clearer. Lind wants to continue developing as a supervisor while expanding her work in training and communication. She is particularly interested in helping researchers understand research administration and helping the people who support them develop their own knowledge and judgment.
Those goals connect the Future of the Field recognition to the work Lind hopes to continue doing at Boise State. Her plans focus on supporting researchers and developing the people working alongside her.
Lind came to Boise State looking for work with purpose. Nearly a decade later, she has found it in helping other people do theirs, too.