Sara Shipley Hiles

Sara Shipley Hiles is an Associate Professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri. She specializes in environmental, science, and health reporting, integrating multimedia and investigative techniques into her teaching.

• Executive Director, Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk
• Director, Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Lecture Series
• Faculty Mentor, Science, Health & Environmental Journalism @ Mizzou

Her work emphasizes science literacy for journalists, addressing critical issues like climate change, public health, and environmental justice. She has pioneered collaborative projects with real-world impact, including student-led investigations on fertilizer industry impacts funded by the Pulitzer Center.

• Recipient of C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship (2023) for program-building
• Named 2021 Noteworthy Journalism Educator by Crain NewsPro
• Recipient of Reynolds Faculty Fellowships

Hiles oversees the Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Fellowship and has secured significant grants, including $1.4 million from the MacArthur Foundation, to expand environmental reporting networks. Her career spans major newsrooms like The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Statesman-Journal, with notable coverage of Keiko the killer whale and industrial health hazards.