Sara Cloft
Sara Cloft, Ph.D. is a poultry scientist and educator. She completed her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2022 where she studied poultry gastrointestinal physiology and participated in the Graduate Teaching Scholars Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, teaching in the Introduction to Animal and Poultry Science Laboratory. She has also earned a M.S. in Poultry Science from Auburn University, B.S. in Animal Science from Michigan State University and a certificate in Poultry Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of the Midwest Poultry Center of Excellence Program.
Following her education, Dr. Cloft worked on poultry industry workforce development with Poultry Health Management School and Shell Egg Academy through an extension focused postdoctoral position at Purdue University with Dr. Darrin Karcher. Returning to Virginia Tech, Dr. Cloft’s primary focus is on poultry science education. To support her teaching, she conducts scholarship of teaching and learning focusing on poultry science perceptions, experiential learning practices in the classroom, and professional development for graduate students and postdoctoral positions.
When not in the classroom, Dr. Cloft is passionate about conducting research to support the poultry industry in addressing pressing problems. Her expertise includes laying hen and pullet heat stress, pasture laying hen management, avian coccidiosis, and the peri-hatch intestinal maturation process. The aim of all her efforts is to start conversations because she doesn’t believe ‘how we’ve always done it’ is an acceptable answer.
- Ph.D, Animal and Poultry Sciences, August 2022
Virginia Tech; Blacksburg, VA, - M.S., Poultry Science, December 2018
Auburn University, Auburn, AL - B.S., Animal Science, December 2016
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
My teaching philosophy is rooted in constructivist learning theory and strives to transform students into active participants in their own learning. Supporting my philosophy, I conduct discipline-based education research into curriculum development and experiential learning in animal and poultry sciences. I also am a vocal proponent of incorporating intentional graduate student professional development into graduate coursework.
Purdue University
Co-Instructer: Introduction to Animal Agriculture Online section
Virginia Tech
- Course Coordinator- Introduction to Animal and Poultry Sciences Laboratory
- Co-Instructor- Introduction to Animal and Poultry Sciences Laboratory
- Graduate Teaching Assistant- Introduction to Animal and Poultry Sciences Laboratory
Auburn University
- Graduate Teaching Assistant- Poultry Feeding
- Graduate Teaching Assistant- Poultry Health
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistant- Principles of Animal Feeding and Nutrition
- Postdoctoral Travel Award to support presentation at NACTA Annual Meeting 2025, Spring award cycle. June 2025.
- Recipient of Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting Travel Grant. July 2022.
- Recipient of Research Presentation award. Virginia Tech Animal Sciences Research Day. May 2022.
- Recipient of Winter 2021 Travel Fund Program award from Virginia Tech Graduate and Professional Student Senate in support of presenting research at International Poultry Scientific Forum. January 2022.
- Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award. January 2020 for publication (2).
- JAR Graduate Student Travel Grant Award, Virginia Tech Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences. July 2019.
- Novus seminar award, Auburn University Department of Poultry Science. Spring 2018.
- Certificate of Appreciation, Auburn Graduate Student Council. April 2018
- Travel Grant Award, International Poultry Scientific Forum. January 2018
- Certificate of Excellence, International Poultry Scientific Forum. January 2018
- Collegiate Assistant Professor- Poultry Science Education & Student Success
School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech
August 2026 - Present - Consultant
EPIC Consulting Group
July 2024 - Ongoing - Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University
July 2023 - August 2026 - Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park
Aug. 2022 - April 2023 - Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech
Jan. 2019 - Jul. 2022 - Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University
Jan. 2017 - Dec. 2018
- Member, Poultry Science Association; since 2015
- Member, Worlds Poultry Science Association-USA Branch; since 2015
- Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science; since 2020
- Member, North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture; since 2020