We received a heartfelt and descriptive nomination for the December 2023 research administrator of the month! To nominate someone for recognition, please email Melanie Kirk.
“Nik Mitchell embodies the word ‘team player.’ As the Network Systems Analyst—dedicated to providing support for faculty and staff within SORF as well as providing support for divisional Surgical Sciences and research-related events—he is needed everywhere, for everyone at once. Not only does he manage to do that, he does it with a smile. Nik is critical to the IT infrastructure and daily operations of the SORF faculty, ensuring everyone has the resources needed to perform their role successfully.
Nik helps facilitate a smooth operation for the labs and can always find a solution in the most challenging situations, all while minimizing costs when possible. In addition to the daily IT needs for the SORF faculty, Nik supports a variety of Division of Surgical Sciences events ranging from monthly faculty meetings, division and departmental research presentations, faculty recruit research talks, the Duke CFAR symposium, and many other cross-divisional, departmental and institutional priorities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nik was critical in transitioning many of the faculty and staff, to be able to efficiently and successfully work from home, particularly those whose research was contributing to the COVID-19 vaccine development. Nik’s efforts were key in allowing the innovative and impactful research to continue without interruption.
We are grateful to have Nik on our team and immensely appreciate the many contributions he brings to the team, division, department, and institution.”
- Shea Dambal, PhD, Scientific Program Leader
Lauren Shields, Divisional Administrator