Rate My Professor Sarah Myles

Sarah Myles serves as the Research Impact Officer in the Research Impact section of the Research Integrity Office at the University of Otago in Dunedin. In this capacity, she contributes to the Research Division by assisting with activities related to demonstrating and maximizing the impact of university research. She can be contacted via email at sarah.myles@otago.ac.nz or by telephone at +64 3 479 8340.

Myles completed a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology and Criminology at Victoria University of Wellington, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Adult Learning and Teaching (ESOL) from Massey University. Early in her career, she worked in business and banking before embarking on travels to the United States, France, and Scotland. Upon returning to Aotearoa New Zealand, she took up a position as a tutor at Massey University. More recently, she has been self-employed in financial accounting and copywriting, and participates in the Writers in Schools programme, making visits to primary and secondary schools.

Sarah Myles is an accomplished writer of creative non-fiction. Her debut book, Towards the Mountain: A Story of Grief and Hope Forty Years on From Erebus, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2019. The book recounts the personal and collective impact of the 1979 Mount Erebus disaster, in which her grandfather Frank Christmas was one of the 257 victims. Myles undertook extensive research, including interviews with fellow grieving families and recovery teams, to weave together stories of loss, resilience, and hope. This work garnered an Honourable Mention in the 2017 Lilian Ida Smith Award, and was a finalist in the General Non-Fiction category at the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. She was supported by the 2018 NZSA / Creative NZ Mentorship Programme, which facilitated full-time dedication to the project. Myles is currently writing a second book, a fictional novel set in Otago.