After more than six years of service, Gerri Hamlett, college research manager and representative for the office of contracts and grants, is retiring from the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering.
Hamlett joined the UH Cullen College of Engineering in 2008 as the college’s first-ever research manager. In this role, Hamlett provided instrumental support to Cullen College faculty members in preparing proposals for various grants, awards and contracts.
The process of submitting proposals for grants and national awards is often long, complicated and anxiety-ridden. However, Hamlett was known by faculty members throughout the Cullen College as the key to simplifying the process.
Debora Rodrigues, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Cullen College, said that Hamlett’s support was extremely valuable to her as a junior faculty member trying to navigate the complex procedures required for proposal submissions.
“Ms. Hamlett walked us through all the details of the UH internal system, budget preparation and funding agencies’ requirements in one-on-one sessions,” Rodrigues said. “She always makes herself available every time we have a question… and she is the first person to offer congratulations and to celebrate with the junior faculty when he/she wins an award or grant.”
“She has been a great asset to [the] college and will be missed,” she added.
Fritz Claydon, professor of electrical and computer engineering, said that Hamlett’s passion for encouraging the success of the college’s faculty made her stand out.
“Gerri has a passion for our faculty to be successful. Her legacy is that she set a standard of excellence that will be in place for many years to come,” Claydon said.
Hamlett’s passion for her job even won her the Cullen College’s outstanding staff service award in 2012.
Prior to joining the Cullen College, Hamlett worked in the University of Houston’s Division of Research. In this role, she helped faculty across the campus with submitting proposals for grants and awards.
Claydon said that Hamlett’s reputation for excellence eventually spread throughout the Cullen College. “She always went above and beyond, and many faculty and staff at the [Cullen College] noticed that. We were lucky enough to convince her to come work with us here in engineering,” Claydon said.
Initially, Hamlett supported all of the roughly 90 faculty members on her own. “Gerri allowed faculty to have a one-stop service in terms of getting assistance with grant proposals, budgets, contracts and national awards,” Claydon said.
Over time, as the college added more faculty members to its roster, Hamlett led the college’s office of contracts and grants through a period of growth and hiring. She eventually added two more college research administrators to her team – Rudy Razo and Winsome Chee.
“I know for many of us in the college, if there was ever a research question we needed an answer to, Gerri was the go-to person,” Razo said. “She has offered an abundance of advice and guidance and we've been so fortunate to have her expertise and wealth of knowledge to rely on. It has truly been a pleasure to work with and learn from Gerri over the years.”
Joseph W. Tedesco, dean of the Cullen College of Engineering, said that Hamlett’s dedication to the college and the success of its faculty members helped to usher in a new era of research excellence for the college.
“Gerri helped our faculty throughout the Cullen College to take their research to new heights,” Tedesco said. “Her enthusiasm for advancing the success of our faculty shined through everything that she did, and she helped to raise the bar for research excellence at the college.”
The Cullen College’s associate dean for research and facilities, Hanadi Rifai, echoed these sentiments. “Gerri is an outstanding individual,” she said. “She has been a dedicated and trusted resource for our faculty and has been instrumental in advancing the research agenda in our college.”
Hamlett will begin transitioning into retirement beginning in December, when she will take on a part-time schedule.
“I think I speak for all of us at the college when I say, she will be very missed,” Tedesco said.