The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources welcomes two new faculty members to the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Sarah Lee and Grace Shearrer both started Jan. 11. Lee is a lecturer in the human development and family sciences concentration, and Shearrer is an assistant professor in the human nutrition and food concentration.

Lee received her master’s degree in family and consumer sciences from UW and has worked as a teacher in international schools in the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey and Vietnam before returning to Wyoming.

“We are excited to have Sarah Lee return to our department and bring her wide range of knowledge and diverse experiences to our students,” said Christine Wade, family and consumer sciences department head. “She is passionate about engaging with students and incorporating high-quality teaching techniques into her courses and has hit the ground running this semester.”

Shearrer earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin and was a research assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before coming to Wyoming.

“Grace values providing undergraduates with meaningful classroom and research experiences and will be a great role model for our students as to what is possible in their futures,” said Wade. “Her research interests are also of great importance to the health and well-being of our state and our nation.”

Her research examines how pleasant and unpleasant behaviors alter the physiological motivation to eat and weight regulation during periods of accelerated growth like young childhood and adolescence, shared Wade.