May 19, 2026
Senior Pre-Award Lead Administrator Bruxanne (pronounced Brooks-Ann) El-Kammash, Senior Pre-Award Lead Administrator in PSD’s Local Business Center, was born in Chapel Hill and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. She completed undergraduate and graduate school at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she then worked in the non-profit world until she joined Coastal Carolina University (CCU). She began her career in research administration at CCU as a grant coordinator, moving up to the director position, where she stayed for 15 years. She then joined Georgia Southern University as a director for 5 years before taking a role in the URA at UChicago as a Sponsored Development Manager. She joined the PSD in April 2025. We interviewed Bruxanne about her interests and experiences.
People can come to me for…
Assistance with pre-award proposal development questions, concerns, training, and tutorials on our internal system (AURA); budget development; assistance communicating with University Research Administration or the Office of Research Development; or to work together on specific funding opportunities. I also have a portfolio of PIs with whom I work on proposal development and submission, as well as serving as backup for the PSD teams.
What do you enjoy about being a part of the PSD community?
The friendliness and professionalism of the faculty and staff is what stands out most to me. There is a wealth of support given to one another and from the PSD administration. It’s a daily pleasure working with my colleagues across the division.
What is the most interesting thing that you are working on right now?
Everything I work on is of interest because I find science fascinating, even though most of it goes over my head! Working with our pre-award process improvement team to find ways to help refine practices using the creativity and depth of knowledge within the LBC is also interesting and exciting for me.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I moved to Southern California in 2024 with our family to try something completely different, and we absolutely love exploring our new state! We live with 3 of our young adult children (our oldest son and his partner are less than an hour away). We can get to the beach, the mountains, or the desert within an hour, and there’s a wealth of activities, museums, markets, concerts. On any given weekend we try to take advantage of all our area has to offer.
If they made a movie about your life, what genre would it be and who would play you?
Definitely a horror comedy, starring Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Do you have pets, and if so, what are their names?
We have two cats, Max (menacing gray tabby) and Boo (think Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon). We also have the bestest boy ever, a rescue pup named Simon, a Corgi/Shepard/something else blend (we call him a Shorgi+) who follows me everywhere and who loves going on adventures, especially to the desert. Max is his BFF, and Boo is his sworn enemy.
What is your favorite restaurant in Chicago?
The Nile in Hyde Park—it’s small and the food is wonderful. I eat there every time I’m in Chicago.
What hobby do you spend the most time on?
Travel! We love exploring the state and national parks across the country and chasing the aurora borealis and the Milky Way as a side quest when possible. We spend a lot of time in Joshua Tree National Park.