Sarah Rios

Sarah Rios is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences. Her research focuses on advancing the study of race, health, and the environment, with specific interests in industrial agriculture impacts, carceral expansion, and community resilience through environmental justice activism. Her ongoing Valley Fever research examines racialized health determinants and community knowledge.

Education includes:

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2018)
• B.A. in Women’s Studies and Communication Disorders, California State University Fresno

Research interests center on environmental justice frameworks, health disparities in agricultural communities, and decolonial approaches to environmental health. Her work integrates qualitative methodologies with community-based participatory research.

Awards and honors:

• Anna Julia Cooper Postdoctoral Fellowship
• UC President Dissertation Year Fellowship
• Chicano/a Institute Studies Fellowship