Project Administrator (Non-Technical), Business Coordinator
Posted Aug 6, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
You provide business support for projects from conception to completion. How do you keep a project moving when the researchers are focused on the science?
What they are checking: Driving administrative work that nobody else will prioritize.
Tell me about supporting work you did not fully understand technically. How did you stay useful?
What they are checking: Comfort supporting expert work without being an expert.
This supports a laboratory in the Organismal Biology and Anatomy department covering biomechanics, evolution and paleontology. What draws you to supporting research rather than a business office?
What they are checking: Genuine interest in the setting, which makes the difference in a lab role.
What would you do
You would plan logistics for trips, conferences and expeditions. What makes planning a field expedition different from planning a conference trip?
What they are checking: Understanding that field logistics carry risks and constraints office travel does not.
You would manage the laboratory's calendar and scheduling for a principal investigator who travels. How do you protect their time and still keep the lab moving?
What they are checking: Gatekeeping for a busy researcher.
A shipment the lab needs for an expedition is delayed. What do you do?
What they are checking: Problem solving against a departure date that will not move.
How do you work with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who need things from you at the same time?
What they are checking: Serving several claimants with no clear hierarchy between them.
About the work
This role includes computed tomography scanning and logging for a research group working in vertebrate paleontology and comparative biomechanics. What would you need to learn to log scans usefully?
What they are checking: Willingness to learn a technical task inside an administrative role.
How do you keep track of specimens, equipment and materials across a laboratory and a field season?
What they are checking: Inventory discipline where items are irreplaceable.
How do you handle financial records and reimbursements for research spending that happens in the field?
What they are checking: Practical handling of receipts and rules under difficult conditions.
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As published by University of Chicago.