Sarah Dohle ’01

Assistant Professor, Plant Science, Delaware Valley University

Sarah Dohle is an assistant professor in the Plant Science Department at Delaware Valley University teaching crop science classes to the next generation of growers, researchers and eaters. She is interested in broadening the genetic base of agriculture to increase diversity in our food systems as a way to help improve agriculture and mitigate the effects of climate change. Through plant breeding, crops can be adapted to specific environments with increased stress tolerance, and specific market demands such as improved shape and flavor.

Sarah earned a B.S. in biology at Emory University. After graduation she worked for a startup ag-biotech company, Agrivida, developing genetically engineered plants with improved post-harvest value. As a PhD student at the University of California Davis, Sarah worked to develop insect resistant varieties of Lima beans (butter beans) through classical breeding techniques. These improved bean varieties may reduce the amount of pesticide used by growers. She has also done work to add novel color, shape and size to Lima beans.

During grad school Sarah worked part time at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia which maintains the world’s largest Lima bean collection of over 3,000 varieties. Sarah was awarded both NSF Graduate Research and USAID Research and Innovation Fellowships for her PhD work with Lima beans.

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