by Ann Comer-Woods, USF Research
Russell M. Wyland joins the Research Develoment Institute as its first senior fellow.
After a 35-year career at the , Russell M. Wyland joins the USF Research Development Institute as its inaugural Senior Fellow. In this role, he will develop an open-access field
guide to humanities grant writing that will address contemporary funding landscapes,
interdisciplinary and crosssector collaboration, evolving review processes, technology
and AI, and global funding opportunities.
There are many publications on grant writing, but few specifically focus on the humanities,
and even fewer are widely accessible, Wyland said.
At USF, he will pilot and refine the guides content through faculty seminars and
workshops in the humanities and social sciences, working closely with RDI staff, USF
faculty and RDI think tank partners. He aims to provide a practical, forwardlooking
resource for humanities scholars and research professionals while positioning USF
as a national leader in humanities research development.
The timing could not be better, said Sandy Justice, director of the Research Development
Institute. Research is a relationship business that starts with listening, and we
lean in. We are investing in people with both technical and relational expertise,
building the RDI to be flexible, scalable and deeply aligned with the USF mission.
This fellowship reflects a deep commitment to helping researchers navigate the evolving
funding landscape with insight drawn from the funders point of view.
Inspired by his 2024 presentation at the National Organization for Research Development
Professionals (NORDP), Justice and RDI Assistant Director Ross DuBose invited Wyland
not once, but twice, as a invited speaker.
We have a shared vision of what strong research development can and should look like.
Its very energizing, said Wyland, an active scholar whose work has focused on the
formation of the Victorian periodical press. He is looking forward to working with
USFs Humanities Institute, which was founded by his mentor Bill Scheuerle. Wyland will also deliver the keynote
address for the OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference on the Sarasota-Manatee campus
on April 24.
During his decades-long career at the NEH, Wyland served as the agencys first director
of outreach, acting director and deputy director for the Division of Research Programs,
and program officer in the NEH Fellowships programs. He has conducted over 70 grant-writing
workshops and represented NEH on countless conference panels. He led NEHs federal
and non-federal collaborations with the Mellon Foundation, the Trans-Atlantic Platform,
the American Council of Learned Societies, the Library of Congress, Institute of Museum
and Library Services, and National Science Foundation. Wyland is the principal author
of Research Fellowships: An Evaluation of 2002-2004 Awards and the recipient of
the 2025 Research Development Champions Award from the National Organization of Research
Development Professionals.