Welcome to The Optimum Department, the Future of Research Administration. 

Making the complex effortless with easy-to-use software designed specifically for operational effectiveness in academic research departments. 

We are a dynamic software and consulting company that partners with administration leaders to create accountable, collaborative, and effective organizational units by focusing on

• Leveraging technology and automation

• Process improvement methodologies

• Change management techniques

By partnering with The Optimum Department you have access to systems leadership with on-demand training and tailored solutions. The Optimum Department transforms your office into a resilient, well-oiled machine.

Founder and CEO

My name is Sarah Trimmer. I’m the Founder and CEO of The Optimum Department. 

I have over 15 years of experience in the academic research administration industry, where I’ve witnessed and experienced firsthand how outdated systems chew up and burn out highly capable and talented people. 

Here’s the upside: I have worked with colleagues across the country that can expertly advise their faculty investigators on complex sponsored compliance and budget problems, building careers on vast sponsor and institutional knowledge. 

But, the painful reality reveals there is not enough time or support to address legacy and manual systems, policies, and procedures that bring work to a crushing standstill. And worse yet, pile on and create workloads for research administration staff that are unsustainable. 

I built a state-of-the-art technology solution that solves these problems. Software paired with professional guidance for unit and department leaders through change management and implementation processes to sustainable, cost-effective administrative operations. 

You can easily access the simple implementation software with a one-week launch time frame. Or drive larger, long-term benefits with a full-system strategy, training, and technology solution.  

Contact me, connect on LinkedIn, or simply join our curated community and talk about solutions to build the future of research administration.