Sara Lopus

Sara Lopus is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo). She holds a PhD in Demography from UC Berkeley, an MS in International Agricultural Development (UC Davis), and a BS in Environmental Sciences (UC Berkeley). As an off-campus Faculty Affiliate at the University of Michigan’s Population Dynamics and Health Program, her work bridges demography, environmental science, and agricultural development.

Her research focuses on family behaviors, water security, and decision-making in contexts of environmental and social change. Notable contributions include studies on African marital timing dynamics, climate change impacts on farming, and water access in Nairobi’s informal settlements. She has received the ASA Family Section’s Article of the Year Award (2018) for her work on educational effects on marital timing.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on quantitative methods, global population processes, environmental sociology, and professional development for sociologists. She has consulted for NGOs, educational institutions, and governmental bodies, specializing in mixed-methods approaches to solving complex societal challenges. Her data visualization work explores demographic transitions, educational gender gaps, and marital hazard rates in Africa.