Sarwat has a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Bristol. She then worked in R&D for HP Labs on next generation displays. After this, she obtained a Masters in Photonics and a PhD in Electronic Engineering from the University of Cambridge, researching flexible nanowire opto-electronic devices.

Following her PhD, she worked in scientific consultancy with clients in a variety of sectors, from food & beverage to oil & gas, then moved to the University of Cambridge’s TTO (Cambridge Enterprise), commercialising inventions and building spinouts arising from the life, physical and social sciences. On relocating to Manchester, she worked for Health Innovation Manchester before joining the Innovation Factory in January 2022 where she is now an Innovation Discovery Manager (Science, Engineering & Humanities).