Michael Lee Gillis

Accomplished health science and academic program director with 10+ years of experience in business, finance, and human resources. Proven ability to negotiate and administer sponsored research contracts and grants, forge scientific and administrative cooperation, secure funding, and seek commercialization of promising and innovative research.
• Led the development of a system-wide standardized training program for clinical research coordinators following Good Clinical Practices (GCP).
• Expanded training alongside the Institutional Review Board (IRB), health system leaders, and SoCRA to ensure compliance with research standards, practices, and regulations, as well as principles of bioethics.
• Led teams in the timely submission and accurate recording of grant applications and awards through various government agencies and private foundations.
• Administered research agreements to ensure compliance with sponsor-specific contract and grant terms and conditions, as well as institutional and GAAP standards.
• Worked closely with principal investigators to ensure the timely completion and submission of progress, scientific, and project milestones, financial reports, and billing.
• Negotiated and administered contracts across various sectors, organizations, and disciplines, including software license, scientific research, clinical trial, clinical research, non-disclosure, material transfer, alliance, confidentiality, and purchasing agreements.
• Managed all aspects of clinical operations, including team coordination, protocol development, patient recruitment and screening, informed consent, database management, recording site visits, adverse event reporting, and study budget management.
• Possess excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Thrive in a collaborative team environment.
• Considered an outstanding supervisor or manager by staff and colleagues.
• Highly organized, skilled in project and program management, and capable of managing multiple priorities and competing deadlines.

Research Program and Operations Manager

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022 – Present

Support MIT's Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) sub-award and partner to the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Identify and implement standards and practices that align with program objectives and meet national CTSA Consortium priorities and standards.

Business and Contracts (Grants) Advisor, 2018 – 2022

Provided clients customized business and administrative support by performing routine and ongoing grant and contract administration tasks, business process reviews and desk-audits, preparing benchmark and industry best practice analyses, and delivering recommendations for small to mid-sized businesses and higher education clients, and creating customized boilerplate terms and conditions using industry-current language.

Administrative Director, Research Contracts and Grants

University of California, San Francisco, 2011 – 2018

Supervised the research contracts and grants administration team for the Department of Neurosurgery at UCSF, overseeing pre- and post-award research administration staff, financial analysts, and supervisors to ensure the accurate and timely submission of investigator research grant proposals and budgets that comply with sponsor requirements, and monitoring project milestones, schedules, budgets, and expenses while securing timely institutional approvals.

Administrative Director / Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)

University of California, Davis, 2003 – 2011

Managed daily operations of the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) and Office of Clinical Trials (OCT), negotiating clinical trial agreement terms, conditions and budgets, and administering extramural research funding and training grants from organizations such as NIH, NCI, and HHMI. Successfully oversaw the NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) to UC Davis, facilitating interdisciplinary scientific collaborations, encouraging medical discovery and delivering standardized training to system-wide clinical research staff while overseeing an $8 million annual operating budget.

Senior Manager, Americas Order Administration

Oracle, 1997 – 2003

As the order and contract administration team lead, timely and accurately processed customer software license and support orders, documented and implemented streamlined business processes and standardized practices. Achieved in one fiscal year, a nearly 50% increase in revenue and expenses and FTE flat from the previous year. Served as the Global Process Owner for B2C e-commerce line of business, utilizing Oracle's iStore CRM application and showcasing the company's enterprise applications and global single instance database architecture.

Commercial Contracts Manager

Siemens, 1991 – 1997

Negotiated and managed multi-million-dollar light rail vehicle supply contracts with municipal transit agencies across the country, and ensured adherence to GAAP guidelines and cost accounting standards for title transfer, sales, and revenue recognition. Ensured projects were completed and delivered on time, within budget and profitable.

BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA) in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, University of California Davis

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA), Saint Mary’s College of California