Sarah Tomlin decided to return to college after a brief career outside of science and academia, unsure which direction it might take.  She has a keen interest in many fields of study, however, a lifelong interest in science ultimately persuaded her to pursue a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Washington after transferring from Shoreline Community College.  During her senior year at UW, Sarah studied the role of myosin heavy-chain like proteins during the asymmetric cell division of neuroblasts via confocal microscopy in Drosophila melanogaster with Dr. Clemens Cabernard.  This fueled her interest in science broadly, but specifically in the arena of cellular and molecular biology, and the genetic underpinnings that drive these functional processes.

Sarah joined the Malik Lab shortly after achieving her bachelor’s degree from UW where she currently works as a Research Lab Technician II with Dr. Courtney Schroeder on several projects studying Actin-Related-Proteins and their duplicates; specifically, the evolutionary origin of these genes and their function(s) using Drosophila species as model organisms.  She currently works on projects related to Arp53D, Arp2, Arp2D, Arp2D2, and is currently considering continuing her education in graduate school.  

Having been born and raised in the Seattle area, Sarah enjoys many of the outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest has to offer including snowboarding, hiking, camping, and kayaking.  She also enjoys swimming, nature photography, bird watching, and enjoys staying active in any many forms.