Month: July 2026

The March 2026 Career Stories featured Nick Stelzner, AI Support Specialist at the University of Washington

Written by: Roshni Singh, Career Stories team

Conversation with Nick Stelzner: AI, Research Development, and the Future of Institutional Innovation

Photo of Nick Stelzner
Nick Stelzner
AI Support Specialist
University of Washington

For the March 2026 Career Stories, we chatted with Nick Stelzner, who holds a unique role as an AI Support Specialist at the University of Washington, where he supports the integration of large language models (LLMs) across academic, athletic, research, and administrative environments. With a career including roles as a NASA SBIR-funded CEO, laboratory manager, and research development specialist, Nick’s unique blend of technical insight, strategic leadership, and end-user experience to institutional AI adoption helps him lead AI community-of-practice initiatives, runs monthly training, and manages campus-wide support requests for UW’s LLM tool, Purple. His work focuses on increasing AI literacy across faculty, staff, and students while balancing diverse levels of expertise from advanced researchers to newcomers exploring AI for the first time.

Nick describes his career path as exploratory rather than linear, where his experience started as bringing research to market, first exposure to grants, and then working across research labs, industry, and academia, in animal research systems at Washington State University and the University of Idaho, including hands-on lab, and working with Grizzy bears. Once he went to a NORDP conference and took a class with Jess Brassard, he realized all the specialization/skills that people bring to their own teams. Around the same time, GPT3 was released which became a turning point in his career, offering a practical entry into AI-assisted work and sparking his transition toward institutional AI support. He believes in understanding that AI is a predictive text algorithm and finding a way to harness AI to make the work more manageable, not becoming a replacement for actual workers

Nick credits NORDP with expanding its professional network and leadership opportunities, particularly through conference involvement and working groups. He is still very active in NORDP where Nick serves as a Co-Rep for the Pacific Region and an active member of the Conference Planning Committee.

Nick is happy to answer any questions you have for him so please feel free to contact him at nrcs@uw.edu.

NORDP Consultants Program: Announcing Final Cohort and New Authorship Opportunities

In just five years, the NORDP Consultants Program has partnered with 177 institutions across 44 states and territories, helping MSIs and ERIs secure more than $100 million in research funding. Through intensive cohorts, embedded proposal support, and partner-initiated projects, the program is accelerating research capacity nationwide.

These efforts are powered by nearly $11 million in funding from federal and philanthropic partners, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Justice, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, along with additional sponsors committed to strengthening research capacity at MSIs and ERIs.

Now entering the final phase of NSF funding, OIA–2331578, the NORDP Consultants Program is pleased to announce the institutions joining Cohort V. Each has demonstrated a clear commitment to strengthening research activity and connecting scholarship to student learning and societal impact:

  • Morehouse College, a private Historically Black College in Georgia;
  • New York City College of Technology (CUNY City Tech), a public Hispanic-Serving Institution in New York;
  • Hope College, a private primarily undergraduate institution in Michigan; and
  • California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt), a public Hispanic-Serving Institution in California.

Through the cohort model, ERIs receive up to 600 hours of tailored consultant support, a substantial investment in research infrastructure, along with access to professional development and national networks. Cohort V will kick off its two-year engagement in October 2026.

Join the Movement: EMERGE Authorship Opportunities

We’re building a one-of-a-kind space for MSI and ERI research development leaders to share, shape, and lead, and we want you in the conversation.

The EMERGE Library is the first national, peer-reviewed collection of plain-language, collaboratively written resources centering the expertise of MSIs and ERIs. Built from direct engagement with partner institutions, EMERGE captures practical strategies you won’t find anywhere else, created by and for the emerging research enterprise.

With 4,000+ downloads to date, these resources are already shaping practice nationwide. Our flagship guide, Assessing the Impact of Research Development, has been downloaded 1,000+ times.

Now, we’re building the next set, and this is your chance to contribute, collaborate, and be part of a national community advancing MSI and ERI research capacity.

Join our EMERGE author interest meeting to learn more and get involved in upcoming writing groups:

  • EMERGE Author Interest Meeting
    Tuesday, July 28, 2026
    4:00 PM ET

    Register

This work reflects our commitment to a lasting legacy, one where MSI and ERI institutions and leaders are central, visible, and driving the future of the national research ecosystem.