Sarah Hattam

Dr. Sarah Hattam is an Associate Professor in Educational Sociology at the University of South Australia (UniSA), affiliated with UniSA Education Futures and the Centre for Research in Educational and Social Inclusion (CRESI). She holds leadership roles as Dean of Programs (UniSA College) and co-convenor of Equity Practitioners of Higher Education of Australasia (SA). Her research focuses on transformative pedagogies, widening participation, and social justice in education, particularly addressing barriers faced by marginalized groups such as women experiencing homelessness and sessional academics. She has pioneered initiatives like the National Benchmarking of Enabling Program Outcomes and co-founded the Higher Education Research Network (HERN) at UniSA.

Her work emphasizes professional development for sessional staff, equity-driven policies, and critical approaches to higher education accessibility. Notable achievements include the 2022 Reviewer of the Year Award (Springer), Catherine McAuley Award (2022), and HERDSA Hero Award (2021). She has secured $437k in research grants and authored/co-authored influential publications on enabling education, action research, and educational equity.

Key collaborations include partnerships with Catherine House and Zahra Foundation to support women’s education, and advocacy for enabling program standards through the National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA). Her teaching excellence is recognized through multiple awards, including Best Teacher of the Year (UniSA Education Futures, 2022).