Director of the Division of Extramural Activities
The Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) coordinates the NINDS extramural program. The Programmatic Operations Team oversees the receipt and referral of NINDS applications, development of new funding opportunities (NOFOs), administration of NINDS programs such as the R35 and RM1, and process and programmatic analysis.
The NINDS Council Team runs three NINDS Advisory Councils annually, where funding award decisions are finalized, and other Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)-related committee meetings. Funding awards for grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and clinical trials are administered by the Grants Management Branch, which ensures award compliance with federal laws, regulations, and policies. The Office of Training and Workforce Development develops programs to build the national neuroscience skill base and workforce infrastructure through a variety of specialized NINDS training programs. The Office of Research Quality and the Data Modeling and Analytics Team house programs that underpin rigorous, high-quality scientific research, transparent reporting, data management, and AI initiatives.
Immediate Office
The Immediate Office of the Director oversees all the Offices and Branches of the Division as well as staff that coordinate receipt and scientific referral of grant applications submitted to the Institute and publication of funding opportunities in the NIH guide. In addition, the Immediate Office oversees and coordinates crosscutting scientific programs including the R37 Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award, the COMBINE program, the R35 Outstanding Investigator Award program, the NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship, the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research and the R13 NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings.
- Shanta Rajaram, Acting Deputy Director, Acting Chief of Scientific Review Branch
- Elyse Sullivan, Chief of Staff
- Tom Cheever, Chief of Programmatic Operations Team
- Cheryl Cudzilo, Acting Chief of DEA Workforce ‘Program Analyst’
- Brian Haugen, Chief of Data Modeling and Analytics Operations Team
- Rosa Lopez, Lead Specialist of Other Transactional Authority Team
- Timothy Lyden, Acting Chief of NINDS Council Team
- Shai Silberberg, Director of Office of Research Quality
- Letitia Weigand, Director of Office of Training & Workforce Development
- Shellie Wilburn, Chief of Grants Management Branch
Organization
The Division of Extramural Activities branches and offices:
The Programmatic Operations Team, led by Dr. Thomas Cheever, holds cross-cutting neuroscience programs, including the Outstanding Investigator Award (R35), Collaborative Opportunities for Multidisciplinary, Bold, and Innovative Neuroscience (COMBINE RM1), Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37), Conference grant program (R13), and Neuroethics program. The Programmatic Operations Team optimizes NINDS extramural operations across the grant lifecycle. We develop and maintain streamlined workflows for investigators and NINDS staff and serve as an information hub for the extramural community by managing the 'Funding' section of the NINDS website. Meet the Programmatic Operations team.
As of June 2025, the peer review of all NINDS applications for grants, cooperative agreements, and research and development contracts have been centralized within NIH’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR).
Applications responding to the multiple NINDS programs managed under NIH’s Other Transaction Authority (OTA) continue to be objectively evaluated at NINDS under the supervision of Dr. Shantadurga Rajaram, Acting Chief and Acting Deputy Director, Division of Extramural Activities (DEA
The Grants Management Branch (GMB), led by Shellie Wilburn, serves as the primary administrative and policy contact for every award NINDS issues. GMB is responsible for ensuring that all legal, requirements, regulations, and administrative policies are followed by NINDS award recipients. Meet the Grants Management Branch team.
The Office of Training & Workforce Development, led by Dr. Letitia Weigand, develops, implements, and evaluates training & career development programs and activities to promote innovative, high-quality research training and excellence in mentorship. The goal of the office is to build and sustain a workforce composed of well-trained neuroscientists with a wide range of perspectives equipped to drive discovery. Visit the Training and Career Development page on the NINDS website for information on all of the funding opportunities housed in the Office of Training and Workforce Development. Meet the Office of Training & Workforce Development team.
The Office of Research Quality, led by Dr. Shai Silberberg, promotes robust, high-quality scientific research by increasing attention to principles of good study design and transparent reporting. Meet the Office of Research Quality team.
The Data Modeling and Analytics Operations team, led by Dr. Brian Haugen, supports increased analytic capacity and collaboration across the institute, overseeing an extramural reporting and analytics group focused on tool development, data visualization, automation, and reporting. Meet the Data Modeling and Analytics Operations team.