Sarah is in the fourth year of her doctorate in education at the University of Sheffield. Her background is in history, and she has drawn on her experience of working with oral histories to inform her education research. Sarah’s thesis focuses on the identities, experiences and agency of graduate teaching assistants in the classroom, but her research interests also include the role of relationships in academic leadership. From a methodological perspective, she is interested in the ways in which creative fiction approaches can be used to represent the complexity of learning and teaching practice. Alongside her studies, she works as an academic professional development manager at the University of Sheffield, leading a team of colleagues who support staff across the institution, at all career stages, to develop and celebrate their teaching practice.