Cathy Barrera
Cathy Barrera leads the Sponsored Research office, providing strategic guidance and oversight for all pre-award sponsored research functions. Cathy has been a member of the Northwestern community for about 17 years and previously served as the senior director of research administration at the McCormick School of Engineering. In this role, she led strategic management and day-to-day operations of pre- and post-award, supporting over 200 faculty members and students, nine academic departments, and research centers with more than $70 million in annual sponsored research expenditures. Earlier in her career, Cathy served as assistant director of research administration at McCormick and as a research administrator at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a master's degree in learning and organizational change from Northwestern and a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois.