The A to Z of Research Administration
Zarrin Brooks handles all research functions for the Department of Anesthesiology
Name: Zarrin BrooksPosition: Administrative manager of research operations, Department of AnesthesiologyYears at Duke: 22
What I do at Duke: I handle all the research functions for our department. Any faculty member that has a research idea, I help them find a sponsor, prepare an application, and once it’s funded, manage it from Duke and federal perspectives.
If I had $5 million, I would: Travel the world. My two daughters and I have this ‘bucket list’ of places we want to visit with the thought of strapping on a backpack with minimal belongings and heading out to see where life takes us. We want to go to places that aren’t along main routes for tourists in places like South America or Scotland.
My first ever job: I was 14 working as a summer janitor at my high school in Turners Falls, Massachusetts the summer before my freshman year. I spent time cleaning it top to bottom, from blackboards and desks to walls and lockers. I rode my bike four miles to work every day, so it was a nice independence I didn’t have before. It kept me moving all summer.
My dream job: I’ve always wanted to have a horse farm and raise Arabian horses, which I fell in love with as a kid reading The Black Stallion. It was a book about a boy and an Arabian horse shipwrecked on an island and the bonds they established. Since then, it was a childhood dream to raise Arabian horses.
If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: My four Rottweilers. I have two males and two females. It can be very hectic at home, but pets provide an unconditional love and acceptance.
The best advice I ever received: Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. If you work hard and smile at everyone you meet, you’ll be ahead of the competition. My history teacher in high school shared that. He always started class with a piece of advice.
What I love about Duke: The community within Duke and opportunities for career growth. We have a large community of colleagues and peers that help build you and help you succeed.
When I’m not at work, I like to: Spend time with my girls. We try to take trips once a month to create memories they’ll hopefully be able to tell their daughters some day. For a long time, their favorite trip was to the beach, but I’ve been working to expose them to the mountains, too.
An interesting/memorable day at work for me was: The day I was interviewed for a Duke Today story about Tar Heel fans ‘hiding’ amongst Duke fans on campus. I was really nervous about getting teased, but after it was published, a lot of my colleagues told me they were also “undercover” Tar Heel fans and they wrote to say ‘thank you for sharing’ and ‘you’re so brave.’