Showcase 2025: From Admin to Researcher: A First-Time Journey of Professional Growth

Tanya Perdikoulias went from supporting research administratively to conducting it. 

Perdikoulias, the Associate Director of Operations in the Office of Research & Innovation, shared her journey as a first-time, non-traditional researcher at Showcase 2025.
The research project was inspired by her work as a family portrait photographer. When she began to write a book based on her observations as a photographer, she realized there was a lack of research.  

“I had anecdotal pieces, but I didn’t have research,” she said.  

She wanted to explore how people feel when they’re featured in photos displayed in personal spaces or on social media and, in contrast, how they feel when they’re left out.

“I was on a quest to find out how people really felt,” said Perdikoulias.

She hopes her story can help administrators and non-academic staff see research as a valuable avenue for personal and professional growth.

“If they have a question and they are interested in the answer and they go looking for the answer, they are a researcher."

All video interviews were conducted and edited by Fiona Tudor Price.