Rachel Crites

Biography

Rachel Crites joined Notre Dame Research in 2023 as a Pre-Award Program Specialist, before she was promoted in 2024 to Pre-Award Program Manager. In this role, Rachel advises principal investigators on grant proposal development and supports faculty in securing external research funding. In 2025, Rachel was selected for the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) Future of the Field Award. This award recognizes emerging innovators and leaders in the profession.

While learning research administration in 2023, Rachel worked in the Department of Biological Sciences at Notre Dame as a Term Assistant Teaching Professor. She served as the primary instructor for Human Anatomy. Prior to this position, Rachel gained experience teaching human anatomy to Notre Dame juniors and seniors, as well as first-year medical students at the Indiana University School of Medicine - South Bend.

In 2022, Rachel earned a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Notre Dame. Before joining Notre Dame, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Evolution and Ecology from The Ohio State University. During her undergraduate studies, Rachel completed several research projects, presented at local, regional, and national conferences, and graduated with Research Distinction. She also trained in Chicago, where she conducted research at the Field Museum of Natural History.