FAQ and Quick Links - Research at John Jay

At John Jay College of Criminal Justice, research is a cornerstone of academic excellence and public impact. Whether you're a faculty member pursuing external funding, a student interested in hands-on inquiry, or a staff member supporting scholarly projects, the Office for the Advancement of Research (OAR), the Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP), and the Office for Student Research & Creativity (OSRC) are here to guide you. This FAQ page provides a comprehensive overview of research opportunities, funding processes, compliance requirements, and institutional resources to help you navigate each stage of your research journey.

Use the sections below to find answers and access direct links to relevant tools, contacts, and support systems. If you don't find what you are looking for, please contact us at oar@jjay.cuny.edu. 

The mission for the Office for the Advancement of Research(OAR) at John Jay College is to promote scholarly activity, publication, and grantsmanship by providing workshops, mentoring, funding programs, and serving as liaison with the Research Foundation of CUNY. OAR also oversees research compliance (e.g., IRB, COI, export controls). Read more: OAR's Mission & Staff.

Faculty, staff, and students (undergraduate and graduate) may conduct research. OAR supports faculty and staff with funding and compliance, while the Office for Student Research and Creativity (OSRC) guides and funds student-faculty projects.

OAR offers grant writing workshops, one-on-one mentoring, seminars and Internal funding opportunities for faculty. 

OAR provides access to pivot and other databases, and staff in sponsored programs can help identify and prepare submissions for federal funding, and private foundations. You can also find external funding sources by clicking here. 

Internal Funding: OAR offers a range of internal funding opportunities to support faculty research, scholarship, and professional development. These include Departmental Travel Awards, OAR Seed Grants, Faculty Scholarship, Proposal Pre-Review, Open Access Publication, Book Publication, Community Event Support, Enhanced Travel, Conference Reception Support, Emergency Funding, Mid-Career Support, Senior Scholar Release, the Faculty Scholarly Excellence Award, and the Donal E.J. MacNamara Junior Faculty Award. Applications are reviewed during the first full week of each calendar month, with decisions shared by the second Thursday. Read more about OAR internal funding opportunities here. 

External funding comes from federal agencies  and foundations, with proposals supported by OAR staff and administered by the Research Foundation. Find external funding sources here. 

The OAR Director of Sponsored Programs, Susy Mendes Cullen, and her team assist with grant identification, budgeting, and proposal review. They also offer pre‑award support, including workshops and peer-review. Fore more information email sponsoredprograms@jjay.cuny.edu. 

OAR’s pre-award resources guide users through funding searches, proposal development, budgeting, compliance requirements (e.g., IRB, export control), and internal reviews before submission. 

Typical requirements include project narrative, budget justification, CVs, IRB/IACUC approval (if applicable), conflict of interest forms, and institutional endorsements. These are coordinated by OAR and Sponsored Programs .

Yes. Proposals must be reviewed by OAR (and often by department chairs), and proposals administered by the Research Foundation must align with CUNY/RF requirements .

Sponsored Programs staff manage the full lifecycle of the grant, from identifying opportunities, proposal development, submission, award administration, to compliance with RF/CUNY policies. 

Any project involving human subjects, surveys, interviews, observations, secondary data with identifiers, must undergo IRB review via IRBManager. Read more here. 

Submit via IRBManager (CUNY’s platform) or contact Eliana Forero, Director of Research Compliance at eforero@jjay.cuny.edu for support and schedule IRB training sessions.

CITI is a required online research ethics training program. Anyone involved with human subjects research must complete it and link their certificate to IRBManager . See the PI Manual available here for detailed instructions on actions in IRBManager. 

John Jay adheres to federal regulations (Common Rule), CUNY and RF policies. OAR's Research Compliance Office offers education, conflict checks, and ensures protocols meet HRPP standards. Read more about CUNY's policies and procedures regarding HRPP. 

Through OAR’s Research Compliance & Integrity, which offers training, guidance on agreements, manages HRPP, monitors COI, export controls, and enforces institutional policies. 

Yes, undergraduates and graduates conduct research through OSRC and other programs; they must gain faculty mentorship and may apply for funded positions .

Contact OSRC (Room 204.01, Haaren Hall; osrc@jjay.cuny.edu) or consult OSRC’s mentor-matching resources here. 

Yes, OSRC scholarships are available, with deadlines. Applications require student essays and faculty letters. 

Conference travel is funded by departmental allocations via OAR’s budget. OAR also hosts events (symposia, book talks) and supports event planning. 

Visit OAR News & Events for upcoming academic events or contact Remmy Bahati, the Research Communicatios Specialist at rbahati@jjay.cuny.edu. 

John Jay houses numerous research centers that provide resources, collaboration, and publication venues. Lear more about our research centers and organizations here. 

Requests are handled through OAR (for major purchases) or the Library/IT. Contact OAR or your departmental coordinator or Do IT Technology. Equipment usage depends on availability.

Yes, Lloyd Sealy Library offers extensive databases and data services, and the OAR provides faculty productivity data and reporting support. 

Post-award administration, hiring, budgets, effort certification, reporting, is managed by the OAR Director of Grants, Budgets & Special Projects, Amrish Sugrim‑Singh and the Grants Administrative Associate Cherryanne Ward. 

OAR provides guidance, and RF e‑services facilitate budget monitoring, effort reporting, personnel actions, and reimbursements. 

Contracts and subawards are processed by OAR’s compliance and post-award team; RF ensures legal agreements and fiscal oversight . Email oar@jjay.cuny.edu for more information. 

Yes, OAR facilitates inter-institutional agreements (MOUs, NDAs, data-use agreements), exports, and subaward coordination; compliance support comes from OAR staff. 

Such agreements often require legal review and OAR/Research Foundation oversight. Contact the Director of Research Compliance, Eliana Forero at eforero@jjay.cuny.edu for guidance.