Sarah Ward is a Research Operations Officer (Environment) within the College of Social Sciences and Arts (SSA). She brings over 20 years of experience supporting research, academic operations and digital communication across complex institutional settings. Her work spans research governance, systems development, publication support and digital content management. A summary of her core responsibilities appears in the section below.

Day to day responsibilities

• Design and formatting outputs: Using Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office applications, I design and format a wide range of research outputs, including reports, journal articles, posters, conference materials, infographics and other communication assets.
• REF administration: I support the administration of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) for Unit of Assessment 13: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning. This includes reviewing research outputs, coordinating internal REF processes, and providing ongoing support to the REF Coordinator.
• Websites: I manage University research websites within SSA using Sitecore, and create and maintain project websites using WordPress. I also oversee several internal SharePoint sites to support team and project workflows.
• Systems and processes: I contribute to process improvement across the team by developing efficient, technology‑enabled systems using Microsoft 365. I ensure these systems are well integrated into team workflows and provide training to colleagues to support effective adoption.
• PPP: As Journal Manager for People, Place and Policy (PPP), an open‑access academic journal published by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), I oversee day‑to‑day journal operations. I also led the successful application for PPP’s inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).