Sarah E. Hall

Sarah E. Hall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology within the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University with joint affiliation in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Her research investigates epigenetic mechanisms linking early environmental experiences to adult phenotypic changes using C. elegans as a model organism.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Genetics, University of Chicago (2004)
• B.S. in Biochemistry and Genetics, Texas A&M University (1998)

Her work centers on how endogenous RNAi pathways regulate gene expression and chromatin states in response to developmental and environmental stressors like starvation, with implications for metabolic and mental disorders. She employs genetic, imaging, and molecular techniques to study transgenerational inheritance of stress responses and reproductive plasticity.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory focused on RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation in C. elegans, spanning neurobiology, stress inheritance, and aging. Her work consistently bridges molecular genetics with organismal physiology, emphasizing conserved mechanisms relevant to human disease.

Grants and Advising: Dr. Hall directs an active research program funded by an NIH R01 grant (2019-2025) and a CUSE Innovation Grant (2018-2023). She mentors graduate students who regularly present at national conferences including Genetics Society of America meetings, and teaches core courses in genetics and graduate research.

She leads the WormLab (https://wormlab.syr.edu/), which integrates molecular biology and bioinformatics to dissect environmental programming mechanisms within Syracuse University's neuroscience and epigenetics research communities.