Dr. Sarah Taft manages sampling and analysis development and exposure assessment projects for EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center in the Office of Research and Development. Sarah began her EPA career 11 years ago as a microbiologist researching novel microbial risk assessment methodologies to support an EPA response to a biological contamination incident. Some of her notable products include the development of standardized approaches to conduct dose-response analysis of biological agents and evaluations of potential microbial inhalation exposure pathways. As a technical expert, Sarah has assisted the EPA response community during past biological incidents, such as the Ebola outbreak and Tulane Burkholderia responses. Sarah earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Kentucky, a Master’s degree in Microbiology from Middle Tennessee State University, and her PhD in Microbiology with a focus on biological threat agents from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine.