Sarah Radif

Biography

Sarah is Head of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, Associate Professor Professional Practice, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (FCIAT). She qualified as an architect in the MENA region and gained a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Liverpool. Prior to becoming Head of Subject, Sarah founded Solent BA (Hons) Architectural Design and Technology course. Under her leadership, the course has grown to become one of the most successful accredited courses nationwide enjoying excellent reputation within industry and achieving outstanding results in external benchmarks such as national student survey, graduate outcomes and various other league tables. Sarah was also responsible for founding BA (Hons) Interior Design course at Solent University

An experienced academic, Sarah has led the validation and revalidation of numerous courses including foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate and apprenticeships. Sarah has contributed to the evolution of architectural technology as a modern academic discipline and profession through driving excellence in teaching practice and her involvement with the professional body, Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), where she sits on the Education Board and Accreditation Group. She is a professional assessor, moderator and regularly chairs accreditation panels. She took part in 2014 and 2021 QAA Subject Benchmark Statements for Architectural Technology review panels. Sarah is currently the only woman to qualify as Professional Assessor for the newly created Fellowship (FICAT) grade of membership.

Sarah’s research interest is in the impact of social, economic and political factors on the development of housing standards in the UK since the second world war. More recently she has taken part in circa €400k ERASMUS PLUS research project investigating the use of timber in high rise buildings in collaboration with universities from Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania and Portugal. Prior to teaching, she practised architecture working on projects in luxury housing, art galleries, large scale residential and commercial sectors

Sarah has devoted her academic career to creating an excellent student experience. This dedication stems from combining her passion for architecture as a powerful tool that can enhance the health and wellbeing of society, and pedagogic practices that celebrate success and embrace real world learning, diversity and inclusivity. During her career, she taught, nurtured and supported hundreds of students from all different backgrounds doing her best to help each and every single one of them to discover their potential.

Among Sarah’s other contributions, she acts as technical judge for the Society of British and International Design (SBID) annual awards. Internationally, Sarah serves as Visiting Juror of Interior Design at New York School of Interior Design and New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) where she is also a Member of the Advisory Board for Interior Design.