Gabrielle Phan-Costello Recognized as UT Rookie Research Administrator of the Year

The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences is celebrating one of its own: Gabrielle Phan-Costello has been named Rookie Research Administrator of the Year at The University of Texas at Austin’s 2025 National Research Administrator Day Celebration, which was held in September.

Gabrielle joined the Oden Institute in 2023 after five years as a high school English teacher and has quickly become an indispensable member of the research administration team where she supports five faculty members. She is known for her attention to detail, collaborative spirit, and dedication to supporting faculty, students, and postdocs in their research goals.

"Research administrators are the backbone of the research enterprise at UT. Their work is essential to advancing the groundbreaking work that defines TEXAS Research," said Fernanda Leite, the Interim Vice President for Research and Joe J. King Professor in Civil Engineering at UT.

“I was both surprised and delighted,” Phan-Costello said of receiving the award. “UT Austin has so many impressive administrators, and I work with an incredible team here at the Oden Institute. I didn’t expect that I myself would receive this recognition.”

For Gabrielle, the most rewarding part of her role is seeing the bigger picture of the work she supports. “It can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of budget spreadsheets, travel requests, and other documentation. So, it is always special to take a step back and look at the larger picture of the research and scientific advancements made with the back-end support of the administrative team.”

Reflecting on her career change, Gabrielle explained that she wanted to stay connected to education even after leaving the classroom. “I wanted a role in which I could still support students as they continue their education goals,” she said. That led her to the Oden Institute, where she has embraced a new challenge in the world of research administration.

Her first year has already brought accomplishments, from learning the intricacies of federal grant proposals to successfully managing submissions independently. “Being able to complete a proposal on my own was a big moment for me,” she said.

Gabrielle also emphasized the teamwork required behind the scenes. “One thing others may not realize is the amount of collaboration that goes into the lifecycle of a grant — between professors, administrators, postdocs, GRAs, the Office of Sponsored Projects, and institute staff. It really is a team effort.”

Faculty at Oden echo this sentiment. “Gaby is a pleasure to work with! We meet every week or two to stay in sync on upcoming deadlines, she knows all my students by name and takes care of things they need promptly or even preemptively, she interfaces seamlessly with other research administrators we work with on collaborative projects, and the list goes on. I cannot think of someone more deserving of this award than Gaby!” said David Fridovich-Keil, assistant professor in aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics and Oden Institute Core Faculty member.

When asked what advice she’d offer to others starting out in research administration, she shared: “My biggest piece of advice would be to ask questions. Experienced colleagues want to share their knowledge to help newcomers learn and grow in this field.”

With her thoughtful approach, commitment to supporting cutting-edge research, and clear pride in her work, it’s no surprise that Gabrielle Phan-Costello has been recognized as one of UT’s rising stars in research administration.