Earlier this January, the Chemistry Department welcomed Sarah Lefave as an Assistant Professor Lecturer. Dr. Lefave joined us after completing her Ph.D. and working as a lab manager here at U Chemistry. We're thrilled to have Sarah continue her career with us as a Professor!

After moving to Utah over a decade ago, Sarah completed her Ph.D. (2021) at the University of Utah, with research focused on interrogating the relationships between protein dynamics and protein function. For the past four years, she worked in lab management with the Sigman Lab and dabbled in data-science-driven approaches to questions of enzymatic catalysis.

Now transitioning to a full-time teaching faculty role in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah, her approach to teaching is grounded in a deep love of chemistry as a framework for understanding molecular behavior in both chemical and biological systems. This approach centers on helping students develop scientific identity, critical thinking, and an appreciation for chemistry as a model-driven process used to interpret experimental evidence and predict unseen behavior. She emphasizes comfort with uncertainty as a productive and essential part of the scientific process, preparing students to reason critically, ask meaningful questions, and apply chemistry beyond the classroom.

She is particularly excited about curriculum development and building strong mentorship pathways for students and teaching assistants as they progress toward graduation and advanced degrees.