Erin Wolfram

1. What is your professional background?

I have been working with students in some capacity since I started my professional career and love providing guidance and support to help them achieve their academic, personal, and career goals! First, I served as a high school English teacher, and then, after earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology from The University of Kansas (KU), I fell in love with career coaching, which led to thirteen years of progressive positions within KU’s University Career Center. In 2013, I earned a master’s degree in educational technology, which helped transition my role from career coaching to a technology and instructional design focus, resulting in the development of several online career and job search courses for KU students. I briefly left KU in 2019 and worked for the Kansas Board of Regents as the associate director of Academic Affairs before running my own career and job search coaching business for golf course superintendents, which I continue as a side gig. I returned to KU in 2021 and now lead the Office of Fellowships and the Center for Undergraduate Research.

My background in secondary and higher education, career services, and academic affairs at KU and KBOR provides a strong foundation for helping students identify research opportunities and acquire funding to support their projects. I enjoy learning about the amazing accomplishments of KU students while helping them develop lifelong skills!

2. What is your background in research?

While earning my master’s degree in counseling psychology in the School of Education at KU, I participated in the Counseling Laboratory for the Exploration of Optimal States (CLEOS) lab, a project that uses a research-through-service model to provide career counseling to creative individuals, especially Kansas high school students, with a focus on researching talent development and creativity.

3. What do you do at the Center for Undergraduate Research?

I oversee the administrative aspects of the Center and also lead the Undergraduate Research Award program, research-focused course mini grant applications, and mentor recognition initiatives. Additionally, I lead the Office of Fellowships at KU and work to connect students to programs and services offered by both offices to optimize the student experience.