Sam Mombou, PhD

Executive Director at Olive View-UCLA Education & Research Institute

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

About

Research administration is where science meets strategy — and I've spent my career at that intersection. As Executive Director of the Olive View–UCLA Education & Research Institute, I lead a nonprofit research enterprise affiliated with LA County DHS and UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, overseeing a multimillion sponsored portfolio and approximately 400 active IRB protocols. My work spans the full arc of research administration: pre-award strategy, federal compliance, post-award stewardship, and the institutional infrastructure that makes it all sustainable. I came to this field with a rare combination of credentials — a PhD in Higher Education, an MBA in Management, and the CRA designation — and I've built my career at institutions that demand rigor: Northwestern, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and now ERI. I have deep expertise in 2 CFR 200, Cost Accounting Standards, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and the operational systems that keep compliance teams functional. What drives me is building capacity — not just managing compliance, but creating the systems, teams, and culture that allow research to thrive long-term.

Experience

  • Executive Director at Olive View-UCLA Education & Research Institute
    Mar 2026 - Present · 5 mos

  • Principal at Research Administration Compliance Consulting Services
    Sep 2025 - Present · 11 mos

  • Director of Sponsored Programs at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Aug 2023 - Aug 2025 · 2 yrs 1 mo

  • Assistant Director for Proposals and Award Acceptance at Northwestern University
    Jun 2021 - Jul 2023 · 2 yrs 2 mos

  • Research Administrator at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
    Nov 2019 - Jun 2021 · 1 yr 8 mos