About Us – Office of Research

Molly Losh, PhD
Associate Dean of Research
m-losh@northwestern.edu

Dr. Molly Losh is the Jo Ann G. and Peter F. Dolle Professor of Learning Disabilities in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Associate Dean of Research in the School of Communication at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions, with a specific focus on understanding the basis of language and communication impairments that span diagnostic boundaries. Work from her lab has helped to identify key cognitive mechanisms that may underlie the social-communicative impairments in autism, in order to bridge gaps between observable clinical behaviors and underlying biology, necessary for understanding the causes of autism and related conditions.

Molly provides oversight for the SoC Research Office. She works on SoC research policy and is the research compliance officer for the School of Communication. She can provide support for issues involving the IRB, INVO, Sponsored Research, and the University Library. She administers the SoC internal grant programs, SPARK (formerly EREA), and helps identify funding sources for faculty and graduate students.

Sheri Carsello, MA, CRA
Assistant Dean for Research
sheric@northwestern.edu
847-491-2425

Sheri Carsello is the Assistant Dean for Research for the School of Communication. Sheri manages the research staff and oversees the grant proposal submissions and non-financial post award items, such as effort reporting and annual progress reports. Sheri has been involved in research administration at Northwestern for over 25 years, with 20 years of work focused upon NIH grant support. Sheri held positions at the Program of African Studies (PAS), Accounting Services Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP), and the Sponsored Research (SR) office.

Sheri received her M.A. in production from Northwestern University’s SoC’s Department of Radio, Television and Film, with a focus on video and film production. She is a visual person and loves all forms of art! In her free time, Sheri enjoys gardening and visiting gardens, yoga and exercise, and playing with her dogs, Ruby and Rocco.

Sheri has served on numerous sponsored project pilot and advisory committees at NU and is an active member of the Northwestern University Research Administration Leadership (NU RAL) group headed by the SR Executive Director. She supports faculty proposal development, annual reporting, effort reporting (CS&D), and grant compliance. Contact Sheri to help problem-solve your sponsor project complex issues.

Sharra Vostral, PhD
Assistant Dean of Research
sharra.vostral@northwestern.edu

Dr. Sharra Vostral joined the School of Communication’s Research Office team in September 2023 as the Assistant Dean for Research. Sharra supports faculty and students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences by matching their research goals with funding and award opportunities. She is also a faculty member and Professor of Instruction in Communication Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in History and an M.A. in American Studies, both from Washington University in St Louis, and a B.A. Religious Studies with Honors, University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Sharra was most recently in the History Department at Purdue University, with affiliations in the School of Engineering Education.

Sharra’s research explores gender, technology, and medicine and the cross-section of their histories. Her current research explores how stigma is communicated and challenged through menstrual products. She is the author of Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology (Lexington, 2008) and Toxic Shock: A Social History (NYU Press, 2018). She co-edited Feminist Technology (University of Illinois Press, 2010) and The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty (Open Library of Humanities, 2022). She has also appeared in interviews in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, Newsweek, BBC Radio 4, and Le Monde, among others.

Annmarie Diaz, BS
Senior Research Administrator
ann.diaz@northwestern.edu

Annmarie earned her Bachelor of Science in Organization Management (BS) from Calumet College of St. Joseph. She recently worked as a Grant Contract Financial Administrator (GCFA) in ASRSP. She is excited to work and assist PIs with their proposals and other projects here at the School of Communication. In her free time, Annmarie enjoys serving at her church and weightlifting. She would like to obtain her master’s degree and write her first book.

Savanah Alberts, BA
Senior Research Administrator
savanah.alberts@northwestern.edu

Savanah joined the SoC Research team as a Senior Research Administrator in July 2026. She comes to us from North Carolina State University, where she worked in research administration for the past eight years in the NCSU College of Engineering. Her previous portfolios included a wide array of federal and industry sponsors across the whole lifecycle of sponsored projects. Savanah is very excited to learn more about the diverse research happening in the School of Communication and to work more closely with her background in English and linguistics. Outside of work, Savanah enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and playing with her dog, Fish.

Anne Taylor, BA
Research Project Manager & Program Assistant
anne.taylor@northwestern.edu

Anne Taylor joined the SoC research team in December 2021 as a program assistant. Anne had previously worked closely with the SoC Research team as part of her role as research project manager and was excited to devote time to helping the team with other faculty grants on a part-time basis.

Anne thoroughly enjoys learning about the exciting research, artistic, and scholarly work being conducted throughout the school. She plays an important role in supporting grant proposal development, submissions, and progress reports for faculty across departments, including several large-scale studies. Outside of work, Anne enjoys spending time with her three children, large extended family, and seeing live music with friends.

Amanda Peterson, MS
Program Coordinator
apeterson@northwestern.edu

Amanda jointly supports the SoC Office of Research and the Associate Dean for Graduate Education, Rayvon Fouché. Prior to joining the School of Communication in July 2026, she worked in various administrative roles in McCormick, Weinberg, and the Office of Research and has been at the university since July 2018. She earned a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and Spanish from Lake Forest College and an MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University. Outside of work, she enjoys editing Wikipedia, watching Taskmaster, and hanging out with her senior chihuahuas.