Meet Our New Faculty

Sarah Vaughn

Dr. Sarah Vaughn will be joining the Department of Animal and Dairy Science at the University of Georgia as a Lecturer. Dr. Vaughn earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, her Master of Philosophy in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from the University of Oxford in 2015, and her Doctorate in Comparative Biomedical Science and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia in 2023 and 2025, respectively. She is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Georgia, and she holds additional certifications in Fear Free Veterinary Practice and as a Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian.

Dr. Vaughn’s role will primarily be teaching, specifically building out companion animal courses for the undergraduate Animal and Dairy Science major and the Animal Bioscience major. She’s excited to develop and offer classes that mix science and physiology with social science concepts, such as the human-animal bond, quality of life assessments, and the economy of pets. Her research is primarily equine-focused: endocrinological differences between ponies and horses, Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction in equids, and the role of oxidative status in endocrine disease in horses. However, she also has a strong interest in issues surrounding end-of-life care and decision making across all species, as well as animals as cultural icons that we also eat (such as the lobster in New England or Long-horned Cattle in Texas). Dr. Vaughn has a varied background, with training in social science research, biomedical research, and veterinary medicine, and she is excited to share her breadth of experience and knowledge with her students.