UCF Senior Director for Research Advancement & Strategy Tamara Gabrus Earns Employee Excellence Award for Service and Partnership
As part of the 2025 Founders’ Day employee honors ceremony in April, Gabrus earned this prestigious university-wide award for her continued commitment to excellence in support of UCF.
By Eddy Duryea ’13
Tamara Gabrus ’10 ’14MS is a Knight through and through – with multiple degrees earned at UCF and nearly two decades of service to the university’s Office of Research and the Faculty Cluster Initiative.
Most recently, she was honored for her service at the 2025 Founders’ Day employee honors ceremony in April with an Employee Excellence Award for Service and Partnership.
There are five categories of Employee Excellence awards, which highlight A&P, USPS and OPS non-student employees who made exceptional contributions to the campus community: Community Well-Being, Discovery and Innovation, Operational Excellence, Service and Partnership and Student Success.
Along with the Employee Excellence awards, employees were also recognized for reaching their five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 45 years of service milestones, and recent retirees were also honored.
Gabrus’ role within the Office of Research has expanded as did her expertise in research development. Through it all, she remains consistent in her dedication to her team and to UCF.
Gabrus shares her gratitude to UCF and her vision of the future:
How does it feel to earn this award? Were you surprised?
I was incredibly surprised—as you could probably tell from my face when I walked across the stage! I’ve been nominated for this award (formerly the Gabor Excellence Award) in the past, and I’ve truly appreciated every single nomination. The depth of impact our staff makes each day at UCF is genuinely remarkable, so to be considered for the actual award meant a lot to me. I’d say this is the highest professional honor I’ve received in my 18 years at UCF.
For people who have yet to meet you, can you briefly explain a little bit about yourself and your role here at the Office of Research?
Well, I’m a Knight through and through. I earned both my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and my Master of Science in Criminal Justice from UCF, and I’ll be starting my Ph.D. in Public Affairs this fall.
I began my career with the UCF Office of Research in 2007 as a program assistant and worked my way up to senior contract manager. In 2016, I joined the Faculty Cluster Initiative as the assistant director, where I focused on developing a pre-award team. Over time, that role evolved to include programmatic oversight for all nine clusters — ranging from fiscal management and faculty hiring to space planning and program development.
In 2020, I launched the Pre-Award Shared Services unit, designed as a shared services model to support units without dedicated pre-award administrators. These include areas such as the UCF Police Department, the College of Business Administration, the College of Graduate Studies, the Office of the President and Office of the Provost.
In 2023, I was promoted to Director of Research Initiatives, where I led the launch of a program called EARLIER, or Engagement, Assessment, Research Administration, Logistics, Integration, Editing, Reflection. This initiative supports large, complex proposal submissions across the university and was developed in partnership with the Research Development team.
Most recently, in March, I was promoted to Senior Director for Research Advancement & Strategy. This new role bridges the Research Initiatives and Research Development operations under one unified umbrella, as we work to champion new ways to support our faculty in their pursuit of research excellence.
When you think of “service and partnership,” what impactful moments can reflect on that may have contributed to you earning this award?
Without a shadow of a doubt, the key to earning this award has been the support of an incredible team of colleagues. I’m incredibly fortunate to lead a group of professionals who are deeply dedicated to our faculty and our mission. Every single day, they show up and give their all — to this organization and to one another. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, and it’s because of them, and the faculty we support, that I feel truly fulfilled in this role.
Going forward, what kind of momentum does this award bring? What are you looking forward to most in the future in your role?
This award really solidifies that the work we’re doing is making an impact — and it motivates us to take it to the next level. Right now, our team is focused on helping faculty pursue the projects that matter most to them. Whether that means supporting them in securing an NSF CAREER award, an NIH R01, or helping an interdisciplinary team go after a multi-million-dollar center grant — we’re here to champion their efforts.
We’re fortunate to have a strong, empowered team and supportive leadership, and I truly believe what comes next is going to be something special. I’m excited to see how we continue to grow and expand our impact across the university.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I have so much appreciation for the UCF faculty. I know how much they carry to keep this university thriving the way it does. I genuinely value the opportunity to serve alongside them they are the ones moving UCF forward for our students and our community. They’re amazing, and because of them, we are all better for it.
For more information about the UCF Faculty Cluster visit: https://www.ucf.edu/research/faculty-clusters/
For more information about the EARLIER program visit: https://earlier.research.ucf.edu/