Project Summary - Administrative Core The Administrative Core provides management in administrative, fiscal, and scientific aspects of the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC), and is critical to coordinating Center activities during COBRE Phase I funding and ensuring the development and long-term success of the Center at the University of Arkansas (U of A). The key near-term goals of the Administrative Core in Phase I are to provide oversight of the Center, execute the Faculty Development and Mentoring Plan for our project leaders, establish productive and supportive Research Core facilities, and oversee a Pilot Project Program to cultivate the next cohort of project leaders and Center members. The Center Director, Dr. Kyle Quinn, will lead the Administrative Core, and is an established leader in the field of metabolic imaging and biomedical optics with ongoing collaborations with the other NIH- funded metabolic researchers on campus. Dr. Quinn will be assisted by a Senior Mentoring Committee of established administrators and center directors to help oversee key decisions, provide mentorship and help implement a faculty development plan. This team will pursue the following Specific Aims: (1) Ensure the long- term success of the Center by supporting researcher training and career development through multi-disciplinary research focused on metabolism, (2) Implement a faculty development and mentoring plan for junior investigators to ensure they secure external research funding and establish an independent research program, (3) Establish a Pilot Project Program to grow center membership, and (4) Establish clear milestones for center development and provide a comprehensive evaluation of progress. The long-term goal of the Administrative Core is to help establish and strengthen the necessary biomedical research infrastructure on campus to support cutting-edge metabolic research on campus, and also implement a Faculty Development and Mentoring Plan that will ensure the long-term success of the AIMRC as a thematic Center that empowers faculty to compete for large NIH funding opportunities.