Sara has a particular interest in inclusive research cultures and collaboration. Her team delivers development programmes and opportunities for researchers at all career stages at The University of Edinburgh and she is Co-investigator on two EPSRC Inclusion Matters projects looking at gender inequality in big grant leadership and disability in science careers. She authored the Institute of Physics’ “Resilience Toolkit” in 2016 and organised the Universities’ Scotland Researcher Training Policy Forum “Supporting and Enhancing Researcher Mental Wellbeing in Scotland” in 2018. She’s currently writing the University’s Concordat Action Plan.

Sara is a roving panel member for the UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowship programme and supports Edinburgh’s prospective fellows with 1:1 feedback on proposals, research careers support, EDI and mock interviews. During Covid-19 she set up the “Pop-Up IAD” to ensure training and support opportunities for research staff would continue uninterrupted – all workshops were recorded and openly available to all researchers.

Sara founded the annual Science Festival ‘Bang Goes the Borders’ in 2011 and is a member of the Borders College Management board. She has previously worked as a careers adviser, postdoc and ran a researcher development consultancy for 17 years before being drawn back into University life in 2017.