Florida State University Panama City is pleased to welcome new faculty member Sarah Wofford-Mares, who will begin teaching biology courses at FSU Panama City in the Fall 2022 semester.

A native of south Alabama, she earned her bachelor’s in marine science and biology at the University of Alabama before earning her master’s and Ph.D. in biology at Bowling Green State University. Wofford-Mares has taught at Bowling Green State University, Jacksonville State University and, most recently, the University of West Florida.

Wofford-Mares specializes in aquatic and marine biology, animal behavior and communication. Her research and classroom experiences have led her to study unique organisms such as crayfish, sea anemones, apple snails and even humans. She has been published in various journals, including the Journal of Crustacean Biology. Wofford-Mares is especially interested in how organisms gain information from their environment and how that affects their behavior and performance. This is also true for how she engages with her students. She believes a huge part of learning is making content engaging and relevant. This means that she is constantly placing her students in situations that make them behave like scientists. In previous courses, Wofford-Mares helped students launch semester-long research experiments, discuss complex biological topics with experts in the field, and even take an “escape room” themed final. 

Outside of the lab and the classroom, Wofford-Mares loves conservation and scientific outreach. This includes giving talks at state parks, engaging with citizen science projects and educating the public about human impacts on local ecosystems. She has spent many summers on the Emerald Coast and loves getting the chance to share the area’s robust biodiversity with others. When Wofford-Mares is not on campus, she loves traveling to new places and trying new foods with her husband, plus snuggling with her cat (Bandit) and dog (Daisy). She also enjoys disc golf, hiking, and just being outside.