About ORD
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The goal of the Office of Research Development (ORD) is to sustain and grow research, scholarly, and creative excellence at MSU. ORD leads strategic initiatives, locates and disseminates funding opportunities, supports proposal development, organizes capacity-building trainings and events, and fosters collaboration and innovation across campus.
We are a central unit within the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, and available to partner with every department, college, center, institute, and unit seeking to strengthen and fund scholarly pursuits at MSU.
We help Bobcats more effectively develop their research ideas and visions, advocate for their scholarship, form collaborations and tap into existing resources, and ultimately rise to the top of increasingly complex and competitive funding environments. We can partner as much or as little as needed, from a project’s inception to getting a proposal over the finish line.
We are a highly qualified team specializing in team science and interdisciplinarity, science communication and research impact, and budget development, to name a few. We have extensive expertise working with federal sponsors, including NSF and NIH, and we leverage our educational training in geographical and social sciences, biology, and public administration to add systems-thinking, mixed methods, bench science, policy, and institutional expertise as appropriate.
Meet the Team
Nicole Motzer
Associate Vice President for Research Development
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Dr. Nicole Motzer is the Director of the Office of Research Development at Montana State University. In this role, Nicole takes a holistic approach to helping MSU scientists, researchers, and creatives successfully compete in an increasingly competitive external funding environment. Previously, Nicole served as the Assistant Director for Interdisciplinary Science at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), where she developed expertise in team science and interdisciplinary research.
Nicole is nationally recognized for both her team science and research development contributions, including serving on a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee and co-authoring "The Science and Practice of Team Science" consensus study as well as receiving the 2025 Rising Star award from the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP). In all she does, Nicole is driven to help others realize their own research goals with the innovative support, programming, and training she and her team provide. Nicole earned her doctorate in Geographical Sciences form the University of Maryland, College Park and has been awarded over $1.5 million in grants from diverse funders.
Tracy Gatlin
Director of Research Project Management
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Helaina (Stergas) Owens
Research Development Specialist
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Dr. Helaina (Stergas) Owens is a research development specialist in the Office of Research Development at Montana State University. She received her PhD in Biology at the University of Vermont studying cellular neuroscience, developmental biology, and biochemistry. With ample bench science experience and work in STEM education, she secured several institutional grants and mentored many individuals in science writing. She also helped develop multiple community engagement and science communication outreach platforms. Helaina’s passion lies in serving as a thought partner for faculty and graduate students across MSU’s research enterprise, supporting them to secure funding so they can continue to make a difference with their work.