Dr. Sarah Flaim brings over 15 years of experience in the higher education sector, combining expertise in research, operations, clinical trials, and stakeholder engagement. As NIF’s Chief Operating Officer, she leverages her diverse skill set to enhance the organisation’s strategic direction and success.

Sarah is passionate about values-based leadership of high-performing teams, mentoring staff, and cultivating a positive workplace culture. She excels in enabling large-scale collaborative endeavours and devising pragmatic solutions to operational challenges, maximising opportunities while minimising risk.

Prior to joining NIF, Sarah held several specialist research management roles within the higher education sector, spanning all phases of the research project lifecycle. Prior to moving to Australia in 2009, Sarah was a postdoctoral Junior Research Fellow at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where she conducted interdisciplinary research in computational biology, focusing on the electrophysiology of the mammalian heart. She obtained her PhD from the University of California, San Diego as a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.

In addition to Sarah’s operational and research expertise, she brings significant governance experience. She is a recent graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course, and has strengths in finance, risk management, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement, all of which contribute to NIF’s future success.