From Temp Hire to Finance Team Lead: Advancing Research Through Stewardship

August 21, 2025

Eric Villamiel is the senior financial administrator for the Basic Science Administration (BSA) Finance team. In his role, Villamiel leads a team of five dedicated to ensuring basic science departments and centers at Feinberg receive the financial services and procurement support they need.

Starting as a temporary hire in shipping and receiving at Northwestern, he steadily built his career in financial administration, gaining a strong understanding of how effective stewardship supports the research enterprise. Today, he not only manages high-volume financial operations but also invests in the next generation, training new lab managers, research technicians and Northwestern Year Up interns to navigate procurement systems and build skills for long-term success.

Read a Q&A below.

Where is your hometown?

I was born and raised in Forest Park, Illinois and now reside in Des Plaines, Illinois.

What led you to Northwestern?

I was in sales and wanted a different career path. My father-in-law, who was a manager for Northwestern’s Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) gave me an opportunity to work as a temp hire. My path started from the very bottom which allowed me to learn the importance of research and the purpose of the lab experiments through CCM. I then went on to learn the full cycle of procurement through shipping and receiving and financial administration with Life Sciences Financial Services (LSFS).

When did you join BSA?

I started in April of 2023.

What are you currently working on?

I transitioned from LSFS as a financial coordinator to BSA as senior financial administrator for procurement. I manage an awesome team of five in BSA Procurement where we ensure all our departments and centers receive the services and support needed. In addition, I help provide training sessions for new lab managers and research technicians to efficiently process orders into the new FLUID system. Moreover, I had the opportunity to participate in the Year Up program where we train our assigned interns and provide the necessary training for their self-advancement.

How does your work support the research enterprise at Feinberg?

I am part of the BSA Financial team, which processes over $150 million in lab supplies, chemicals and capital equipment requests. My team supports PIs and labs in processing their expense and travel reimbursements. We ensure all transactions are met in a timely manner and strive to keep open communication with the labs.

Why do you enjoy working at Northwestern?

It’s the people that I work with and meeting new people across Northwestern University that keeps me here. I appreciate knowing that you can start at the very bottom and work your way up to the top.

What do you do outside of work?  

I am working on becoming a professional bowler and have enjoyed joining tournaments in the Chicagoland area.