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When a federal, state or private research funding organization disseminates scientific information or awards grants, it is critical that the proposed information be scientifically feasible and have verifiable technical merit. Through a customizable peer review process using an external network of industry-specific experts, ORAU is helping agencies and other organizations make informed decisions about the quality and value of the science they pursue.

  • Subject Matter Experts conducting peer review

    Expert Network & Recruiting

    ORAU can identify and recruit experts in any academic or professional discipline for peer reviews and program evaluations.

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  • Facilitator and subject matter experts engaged in peer review

    Peer Review

    ORAU brings decades of experience in scientific peer review and merit review for agencies and organizations of all sizes.

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  • Instructor and students in STEM classroom

    Program Assessment & Evaluation

    ORAU has experience evaluating national and international, single-site and multi-site STEM-focused programs and focuses on evaluating federally-funded programs, processes and services at national laboratories and universities.

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  • Researcher using computer

    Research Services

    ORAU’s team of researchers and information scientists bring many decades of experience to your research problem, and can conduct research on your behalf that gets to the real need behind the request and compiles the right information from the right sources.

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  • Researcher conducting program assessment on laptop

    STEM Evaluation Repository

    The collaborative STEM Evaluation Repository is an interface for searching, sorting, filtering and displaying listings related to the evaluation of STEM education and workforce development initiatives.

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What we offer

  • Plan and host in-person and virtual peer reviews
  • Manage peer reviews using ORAU’s PeerNet or customer’s online review or grants management system
  • Identify leading experts in any academic or professional discipline
  • Recruit the best-qualified experts to participate in peer reviews and program evaluations
  • Manage all travel, honoraria and other arrangements for the expert panel
  • Design and plan customized evaluations
  • Conduct research using databases, internet sources, publications and human interviews
  • Conduct comprehensive formative and summative annual evaluations for STEM-related programs
  • Perform longitudinal evaluations of STEM workforce development programs
  • Collaborate to provide a repository for searching and displaying listings related to the evaluation of STEM education and workforce development initiatives
  • Baby's hand gripping an adult's finger

    Supporting pediatric cancer research in Florida through Bella’s gift

    The Florida Department of Health turned to ORAU to help in quickly getting a new research grant initiative off the ground. Live Like Bella is now one of four biomedical peer review programs managed by ORAU, yet it stands as the only program that focuses on pediatric cancer research.

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  • Peer review participant using PeerNet web-based application

    Florida’s Zika crisis supported by ORAU's peer review experts

    The Florida Department of Health asked ORAU to develop a peer review process to evaluate and recommend funding for additional Zika-related research projects. ORAU responded by providing the Department of Health with an efficient, virtual peer review process that included a system to accept proposals and an administrative review of proposals by international subject matter experts.

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Our Experts

Keri Cagle M.S., CIA, PMP

Keri Cagle M.S., CIA, PMP

Expertise: Peer review operations and project management, government contract compliance, process improvement, systems development, collaborative leadership and team building

Cagle is an astute business leader with an innovative mindset to use technology to revolutionize processes at ORAU. Her sponsorship of the redesigns of key systems such as PeerNet and Zintellect demonstrate her technological ability and essential collaboration and communication capabilities.

Certifications: Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Internal Auditor, Master Certification in Government Contracting

Tim Ledford

Tim Ledford, M.B.A.

Expertise: Project management, scientific peer review, gap analysis, risk assessment and mitigation, quality assurance

  • Project manager for peer review and other projects for the Office of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, and Defense Programs of the National Nuclear Security Administration and other programs in DOE-SC
  • Task lead, 500+ peer review and other projects for DOE, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies
Meredith Goins

Meredith P. Goins, M.I.S.

Expertise: Subject matter expert (SME) recruitment, information science, knowledge management, scientific impact of SMEs as measured through bibliometrics and altmetrics

Upcoming Event

Come see us at the Tennessee Library Association Annual Conference

The TLA Annual Conference will be held April 24-26, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

April 24, 2019 - Half-day workshop: “Walking Together Through Open Doors: Successful Mentoring” featuring speaker Dr. Diane Kelly, professor and director, University of Tennessee School of Information Science. The workshop will also include a one-hour panel discussion and a one-hour mentoring plan exercise.

April 26, 2019, 9 a.m. - One-hour presentation: “Resilience in Leadership: Balancing your Heart and Mind.” Feeling burned out? Are you beginning to have a hard time adapting to the speed of change? How about the constant task changing and multitasking that goes on in our library jobs and personal lives? It’s time to recharge! Join the TLA Leadership Roundtable to learn how to get rid of the anxiety, learn to disconnect appropriately, and take time for you and focus on things that really matter.

Contact us

For information about ORAU’s research, reviews and evaluations, contact Keri Cagle at 865.241.3804 or peerreview@orau.org.