Rate My Professor Sarah Milton

Sarah Milton is Chair and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University, earned magna cum laude in 1988, and a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 1994. Dr. Milton began her career at FAU as a Research Assistant Professor before her appointment as tenure-track Assistant Professor in 2006. She advanced to Associate Professor in 2011 and Full Professor in 2019. Her administrative roles include Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Integrative Biology, Co-Director of the Master’s Program in Marine Science and Oceanography, and current Director of the Doctoral Program in Integrative Biology. Appointed Interim Chair of Biological Sciences in 2019, she assumed the permanent Chair position in 2020.

Dr. Milton’s research in Biology centers on environmental physiology and the adaptive mechanisms animals employ to survive environmental stressors. Key areas include animal models of anoxia and hypoxia tolerance, neuroprotective pathways during brain anoxia, the role of reactive oxygen species in aging, and sea turtle physiology relevant to conservation. Using model organisms like the anoxia-tolerant freshwater turtle Trachemys scripta and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, her studies explore physiological, cellular, and molecular responses with potential therapeutic applications for stroke, ischemia, oxidative stress, and age-related diseases. In sea turtle research, she investigates hatchling energetics, nest success under temperature extremes, erosion, and flooding impacts, as well as treatments for red tide toxicity. With nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications, notable works include “Physiological and genetic responses to environmental stress” (2003), “No oxygen? No problem! Intrinsic brain tolerance to hypoxia in vertebrates” (2014), “Negotiating brain anoxia survival in the turtle” (2004), and recent papers on sea turtle immune function and embryonic mortality. She has also served as President (2016-2018) and Vice President (2018-2021) of the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Network.