# MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center

> **NIH NIH P41** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $58,602

## Abstract

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Laser Biomedical Research Center (LBRC) is a NIH NIBIB
research resource. The LBRC is also a part of the G.R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory (SpecLab)
administrated by the Department of Chemistry. The LBRC will enter its next funding cycle with seven senior
investigators with approximately 10-15 junior staff members managing approximately 40 collaborative and
service projects. Comparatively speaking, the LBRC is not a large facility; however, given that the center lies at
the intersection seven senior investigator laboratories and interactions with a web of national and international
collaborations with over 100 associated personnel, the LBRC is a fairly complex enterprise that needs an efficient
management plan with a clear chain of responsibilities to properly function. The leadership team of the LBRC
further believes that the majority of the financial resource of the LBRC should be devoted to research,
collaborations, and training/dissemination. Therefore, the center's guiding management philosophy is best
encapsulated by Albert Einstein's saying: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” We have
been and will continue to keep a very lean budget for administration. We are able to function well with minimal
administrative expenditure for two reasons: First, as a part of MIT Department of Chemistry and the School of
Science, we can leverage the very well-run, larger administrative infrastructure for many LBRC operations.
Second, and probably most importantly, we have a highly energetic and collaborative group of senior
investigators. While all of us have research and teaching roles beyond our involvement in the LBRC, having an
enthusiastic group of senior investigators who are willing to take up administrative and management roles within
their busy schedule is partly the reason for success of our center so far. Given our success in the last four years,
we see no reason for radical changes.
 In summary, the LBRC administrative plan has five components:
 (1) LBRC organization: Describe relationship of LBRC within grantee institution and delineate administrative
 and operational responsibilities among senior investigators and key staff members.
 (2) LBRC External Advisory Committee (EAC): Review LBRC EAC structure and membership renewal plan.
 (3) LBRC operating procedures: Layout / review procedures for CP an SP management, equipment and
 facility usages, and facility user training.
 (4) Internal communication and networking plans: (a) Establish new TRD-wide and Center-wide regular
 meetings, (b) Establish a LBRC Retreat
 (5) Transition plan towards maintaining operations and service after “sunset”.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9985827
- **Project number:** 5P41EB015871-34
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter T. So
- **Activity code:** P41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $58,602
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9985827

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9985827, MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center (5P41EB015871-34). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9985827. Licensed CC0.

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