Professor Sarra is teaching and conducting research in areas such as school leadership, Indigenous education, and educational equity in East Asia and Australia, working closely with Centenary Professor Moosung Lee. He is collaborating with the University of Canberra's Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis (IGPA) on education and social policy research, and will be developing and teaching an online Masters unit on educational leadership

Professor Sarra, who grew up in Bundaberg, Queensland and is the youngest of 10 children, became the first Aboriginal principal of Cherbourg State School in southeast Queensland in 1998. There, he significantly improved the educational and life outcomes of its students through a 'strong and smart' philosophy, which encourages students to have a positive sense of cultural identity and embrace positive community leadership.

He founded the Stronger Smarter Institute in 2005, which works with schools and community leaders across Australia to deliver the stronger smarter approach to Indigenous students.