Spotlight on Faculty: Welcome Assistant Professor Sara Dye

Our newest addition to the faculty is Dr. Sara Dye, who was officially appointed on July 1.  Sara was selected for the position of Assistant Professor of Teaching after an international search.  She brings a unique skill set to the position.  She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences with Honors in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 2017, both degrees from UC Davis.  She also obtained a B.S. in Nursing from CSU-Sacramento in 2008, and is a registered nurse with experience in medical intensive care and community health.  During her graduate studies, Sara was the recipient of University and NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, and participated in the Professors for the Future Fellowship program where she learned innovative methods and techniques and honed her skills for teaching at the college level.  Upon completion of her Ph.D., Sara was a postdoctoral associate and lecturer in the department, teaching undergraduate courses in Science and Society, Global Disease Biology, and Plant Pathology. She worked with Richard Bostock to develop SAS 2V – Feeding the World as an online class for UC Systemwide as part of the Global Food Initiative.  Sara will focus initially on teaching courses in Global Disease Biology and Plant Pathology in her new position. She teaches using a One Health approach that emphasizes how optimum health for humans, animals, and plants is interdependent and interlinked. Sara particularly loves helping students to see connections between different fields of study and the interrelatedness of seemingly disparate organisms and systems.  Her research interests include science education and pedagogy, and creating opportunities for undergraduates to participate in practicum projects that challenge them to examine environmentally-sustainable methods to control plant diseases.  These interests follow naturally from her background in molecular plant-microbe interactions and plant immune responses. A native Californian who grew up in the Bay Area, Sara enjoys cooking, reading, and raising her beautiful daughter Tessa.