by Ann Comer-Woods, 糖心Vlog 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 糖心Vlog 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 cross鈥憇ector collaboration, evolving review processes, technology
and AI, and global funding opportunities.
鈥淭here are many publications on grant writing, but few specifically focus on the humanities,
and even fewer are widely accessible,鈥 Wyland said.
At 糖心Vlog, he will pilot and refine the guide鈥檚 content through faculty seminars and
workshops in the humanities and social sciences, working closely with RDI staff, 糖心Vlog
faculty and RDI think tank partners. He aims to provide a practical, forward鈥憀ooking
resource for humanities scholars and research professionals while positioning 糖心Vlog
as a national leader in humanities research development.
鈥淭he timing could not be better,鈥 said Sandy Justice, director of the Research Development
Institute. 鈥淩esearch 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 糖心Vlog mission.
This fellowship reflects a deep commitment to helping researchers navigate the evolving
funding landscape with insight drawn from the funders鈥 point of view.鈥
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.
鈥淲e have a shared vision of what strong research development can and should look like.
It鈥檚 very energizing,鈥 said Wyland, an active scholar whose work has focused on the
formation of the Victorian periodical press. He is looking forward to working with
糖心Vlog鈥檚 Humanities Institute, which was founded by his mentor Bill Scheuerle. Wyland will also deliver the keynote
address for the One糖心Vlog Undergraduate Research Conference on the Sarasota-Manatee campus
on April 24.
During his decades-long career at the NEH, Wyland served as the agency鈥檚 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 NEH鈥檚 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 鈥淩esearch Fellowships: An Evaluation of 2002-2004 Awards鈥 and the recipient of
the 2025 Research Development Champion鈥檚 Award from the National Organization of Research
Development Professionals.