Tim LeFort
Title: Grants Administrator
Number of Grants Administrators in TSRI's Department of
Sponsored Programs: 12.
Duties: Keeping track of a lab's grant money, including
budgeting for costs, tracking payroll, spreading costs among
multiple grants, keeping up-to-date on ever-changing rules
for different grants, and compiling a monthly report for each
investigator. "I try to get the money side of things running
smoothly so the researchers can concentrate on the science.
It's like balancing a big checkbook or looking out for the
bottom line in a business."
Number of Principal Investigators He Works With:
30.
Also Works Closely With: The labs' administrative
assistants. "Helpful, experienced administrative assistants
make my job a lot easier!"
Favorite Part of Job: "Being able to ease the scientists'
worries about money. I try to be the best financial advisor
I can."
Started at TSRI: 1988.
Background: Bachelor's in accounting from University
of California, Santa Barbara. Also attended University of
California, San Diego, when he fell in love with San Diego
beaches and surfing. Previous employment with Los Angeles-based
Hughes Aircraft, in internal accounting—"not so different
from what I do here."
Home Life: Wife and three kids, ages five, ten, and
twelve. (LeFort balances the checkbook at home, too.)
Extracurriculars: Surfing year 'round (especially
on Fridays, while waiting for northbound traffic to subside);
skiing in the winter.
|
"I try to be the best financial advisor
[to the scientists] I can," says Tim Lefort, pictured here
with a few of the monthly reports he sends investigators.
Photo by Kevin Fung.
|
