Meet Our Speaker

Dr Saraid Billiards is the CEO of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), the peak body representing medical research institutes across Australia.

Saraid has more than 20 years of experience in the health and medical research sector, including over a decade in senior roles within Australia’s major government funding agencies—the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). She previously led Strategy and Engagement for Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), a transformative initiative supporting systemic change for gender equity in Australian academic institutions.

A highly regarded leader, policy expert and researcher, Saraid is deeply committed to advancing health and medical research, as well as promoting gender equality, diversity, and inclusion across the sector.

She holds a PhD in neurophysiology from Monash University and was a research fellow in the Department of Neuropathology at Harvard Medical School.