About

Sarah W. Davies is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Associate Director of the BU Marine Program at Boston University. Her research focuses on the impacts of changing climates and anthropogenic habitat modifications on natural ecosystems worldwide. She studies how species respond to rapid climate change through acclimation, adaptation, and dispersal, with particular attention to the complex interactions between organisms and their symbiotic partners. Her work integrates eco-evolutionary experiments with genomic and environmental data to understand how corals and their symbionts interact under thermal stress, aiming to predict their persistence in changing environments. Dr. Davies's research contributes to understanding the mechanisms that influence coral resilience and symbiosis outcomes amid global warming.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Biology
• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Social Science
• Public relations
• Law
• Computational biology
• Psychology
• Engineering ethics
• Evolutionary biology
• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Virology

Selected publications

• A framework for understanding gene expression plasticity and its influence on stress tolerance

  Molecular Ecology · 2021 · 174 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Biology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics

  Phenotypic plasticity can serve as a stepping stone towards adaptation. Recently, studies have shown that gene expression contributes to emergent stress responses such as thermal tolerance, with tolerant and susceptible populations showing distinct transcriptional profiles. However, given the dynamic nature of gene expression, interpreting transcriptomic results in a way that elucidates the functional connection between gene expression and the observed stress response is challenging. Here, we present a conceptual framework to guide interpretation of gene expression reaction norms in the context of stress tolerance. We consider the evolutionary and adaptive potential of gene expression reaction norms and discuss the influence of sampling timing, transcriptomic resilience, as well as complexities related to life history when interpreting gene expression dynamics and how these patterns relate to host tolerance. We highlight corals as a case study to demonstrate the value of this framework for non-model systems. As species face rapidly changing environmental conditions, modulating gene expression can serve as a mechanistic link from genetic and cellular processes to the physiological responses that allow organisms to thrive under novel conditions. Interpreting how or whether a species can employ gene expression plasticity to ensure short-term survival will be critical for understanding the global impacts of climate change across diverse taxa.

  DOI

• Promoting inclusive metrics of success and impact to dismantle a discriminatory reward system in science

  PLoS Biology · 2021 · 188 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Biology
  • Political Science

  Success and impact metrics in science are based on a system that perpetuates sexist and racist "rewards" by prioritizing citations and impact factors. These metrics are flawed and biased against already marginalized groups and fail to accurately capture the breadth of individuals' meaningful scientific impacts. We advocate shifting this outdated value system to advance science through principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We outline pathways for a paradigm shift in scientific values based on multidimensional mentorship and promoting mentee well-being. These actions will require collective efforts supported by academic leaders and administrators to drive essential systemic change.

  DOI

• Rebuild the Academy: Supporting academic mothers during COVID-19 and beyond

  PLoS Biology · 2021 · 102 citations

  • Political Science
  • Biology
  • Public relations

  The issues facing academic mothers have been discussed for decades. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is further exposing these inequalities as womxn scientists who are parenting while also engaging in a combination of academic related duties are falling behind. These inequities can be solved by investing strategically in solutions. Here we describe strategies that would ensure a more equitable academy for working mothers now and in the future. While the data are clear that mothers are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, many groups could benefit from these strategies. Rather than rebuilding what we once knew, let us be the architects of a new world.

  DOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: How do selection, plasticity, and dispersal interact to determine coral success in warmer and more variable environments?

  NSF · $517k · 2021–2025

• RAPID: Collaborative Research: Impact of freshwater runoff from Hurricane Harvey on coral reef benthic organisms and associated microbial communities

  NSF · $32k · 2017–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Karl D. Castillo

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  61 shared

• Mikhail V. Matz

  The University of Texas at Austin

  43 shared

• Hannah E. Aichelman

  40 shared

• Travis A. Courtney

  University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

  37 shared

• Justin H. Baumann

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  23 shared

• Carly D. Kenkel

  University of Southern California

  23 shared

• Colleen B. Bove

  21 shared

• Rhys Jones

  18 shared

Education

• PhD, Integrative Biology

  The University of Texas at Austin

  2014

• MSc

  University of Calgary

  2009

• BSc

  University of Victoria

  2004

Similar researchers at Boston University

• Alexa S. Beiserh-188
• David Boash-156
• Benjamin Sovacoolh-143
• Kathryn L. Lunettah-132
• Ranga Mynenih-130