Born and raised in New York City, Sarah graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester in 2005 with a B.S. in geological sciences and a B.A. in German. Before beginning her doctoral work, Sarah spent the 2005-2006 academic year studying paleontology at the University of Cologne in Germany on a Fulbright research fellowship. Under the guidance of adviser David Bottjer, professor of earth sciences and biological sciences in USC College, she is currently pursuing several research projects related to her interests in evolutionary paleoecology and mass extinctions as a member of the College’s geobiology group. Specifically, Sarah’s dissertation research focuses on the marine ecological recovery from the end-Permian mass extinction, the biggest extinction in Earth history.

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