Behind the breakthroughs
How Martin Noguera powers UF anesthesiology research
April 1, 2025 — Ninety-plus faculty researchers. More than 5,000 publications. Over 100 patents.
Research at the UF College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology is a massive undertaking, where each project means dedicated effort toward improving lives and patient care.
Martin S. Noguera, M.S., C.R.A., CPRA
Meet Martin S. Noguera, M.S., C.R.A., CPRA, assistant director of research administration. From teaching early-career physicians and scientists how to launch a study to managing funds and applications to ensuring ethical and legislative compliance, Noguera is your best friend behind the scenes of research at UF. His expertise, kind demeanor and passion for mentorship have guided the department’s investigative wing for almost five years, making complex processes feel manageable and empowering researchers to focus on what matters most — driving meaningful progress in medicine for patients worldwide.
“Assisting our research faculty brings me joy,” he said. “I love to help, I love to mentor, I love to guide and enhance everything. I want everybody to be successful and enjoy their day.”
His path to research
Martin Noguera and Melissa Moreno in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.
Growing up in Miami and later Gainesville, Noguera took an early interest in medicine thanks to his uncle, Carlos Bejar, M.D., a nephrologist who helped patients navigate kidney diseases. Inspired to join the health care field, he got a job as a patient transporter at Baptist Health South Miami Hospital straight out of high school and worked his way up to become a radiology tech assistant.
Noguera’s research career began in a wetland ecology laboratory at Florida International University during his undergraduate studies. The opportunity to study water quality and soil analysis in Florida’s Everglades piqued his curiosity and opened a new avenue for Noguera, who also served as president of the FIU chemistry club, an American Chemical Society chapter, to explore the art of science. It was also at FIU where Noguera met his wife, Melissa Moreno, and the two moved to Gainesville to continue their studies in multidisciplinary ecology and microbiology and cell science at UF.
While completing his master’s degree, Noguera worked in the UF College of Medicine Department of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine as an account manager, and in 2020, he transitioned to research administration with the Department of Anesthesiology.
“Research administration is the perfect adoption of both worlds,” he said. “There is ensuring compliance with policies, regulations and ethical standards, the business side and finance as well that’s wrapped into it.”
Noguera’s day-to-day work can vary widely, from guiding faculty and proposal development to managing grants ranging from a few thousand dollars to almost $1 million. He also has a passion for mentorship and education, devoting his time to teaching students about the research administration career pathway.
Noguera leads an internship program at UF’s Center for Adaptive Innovation, Resilience, Ethics and Science, or CAIRES, called “Catalyzing a Career in Research Administration,” where undergraduate Gators can gain real-world experience and mentorship in research proposal development, compliance and post-award management skills, building a foundation for success in graduate studies or future high-demand research jobs.
“The earlier they are exposed to this information, the better for their career,” he said. “During my time in undergrad, I was never familiar with research administration. It just came from working in a position and then looking over job opportunities. I wish I had a program like this, and now I can provide it to that population.”
Some of Noguera’s other favorite projects in the Department of Anesthesiology include volunteering with a joy in the workplace initiative, co-leading the Anesthesiology Pickleball Enthusiasts department interest group, and collaborating with researchers at UF and the Malcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to improve traumatic brain and spinal cord injury treatments and therapies for military veterans.
Outside of work, he drums in a local band alongside UF colleagues and enjoys strategy games, including chess, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. When he’s not on stage or at the game table, Noguera can be found on the tennis court or at home, with his wife and three beloved dogs: Vala, a German shepherd mix; Calypso, a pit bull mix; and Ammit, a Great Dane.
Behind the scenes of research
In the UF Department of Anesthesiology, research funding for fiscal year 2024 totaled just under $2 million, supporting 58 faculty investigators, staff and graduate student scientists as they tackle patient-centered studies investigating medicine’s biggest questions in pain mitigation, perioperative drug effects, neurological research and more. Grants from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense made up the majority of the funding, contributing about $1.3 million, and were supplemented by income from the UF Health clinical practice, nonprofit organizations, industry sponsors and state funding.
Within these funds, Noguera said, lies an important distinction: direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are specific and identifiable to a particular research project. For example, the salaries of research personnel working solely on that project, like a dedicated postdoc or graduate student, and supplies required, like surgical equipment, are considered direct. Indirect costs, on the other hand, are just as essential but do not fit into the “specific and identifiable” parameters that direct costs do. This category includes things like gas and electricity and administrative staff who work on many projects rather than just one, like Noguera. By covering shared resources and infrastructure, these funds help ensure investigators have the support they need to advance scientific discovery — ultimately driving innovations that improve patient care.
