This spring, Mark Zulauf, Researcher Information Systems Coordinator, received the Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award in the area of Research for his work with the Illinois Experts portal and the University of Illinois’ ORCID membership.

Both systems have enhanced collaboration among researchers and advanced Illinois’ profile on the national level.

Illinois Experts, a joint operation between the Library and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, provides a researcher profile system to handle information about campus research outcomes—from publications to patents to prizes—that can be used to promote the university or comply with grant and federal regulations. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is an international project establishing clear identifiers so that similarly named researchers are associated with the correct scholarship.

Zulauf is noted for his ongoing innovation and the energetic and proactive outlook he brings to his work. His efforts are not only deeply appreciated by his UI colleagues but also recognized as one of the leading researcher information management systems in the nation. As Zulauf’s nominator, Dan Tracy, noted, “People use Illinois Experts to write press releases about our faculty achievements, comply with research funder information requests, and find information about our researchers in ways that are much easier than they were in the past.”

Zulauf, who last fall received the Library’s Academic Professional Award, was honored at an April 25 campus presentation, along with 15 other recipients of CSEA awards in various categories. Along with the recognition, the designation comes with a $1,500 cash award.