Sara Hugentobler is a fisheries biologist with experience in statistical modeling and analysis, particularly in genetic data analysis. She earned a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Utah and a Master’s in Marine Conservation and Policy from SUNY Stony Brook. Sara holds a PhD in Integrative Biology from Michigan State University, with a dual major in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and a specialization in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Her dissertation focused on using genetic tools to monitor and conserve Central Valley Chinook salmon populations and included projects in the Yolo Bypass, Yuba River, and across the entire basin.
At FISHBIO, Sara is contributing her expertise to projects related to Chinook salmon in the Central Valley, assisting with data analysis and visualization. She is currently involved in biological monitoring efforts of spring-run salmon in the Tuolumne River. She is proficient in the programming language R and has used bash scripting to process and analyze large datasets using high performance computing clusters.
Mamoozadeh, N.A., M.J. Wade, B.N. Reid, E. Bardwell, E.E. Collins, S.A. Hugentobler, S. Jackson, B.C. Kline, H.E. Rothkopf, A. Zhang, M.H. Meek. 2025. A Practical Introduction to effective population size for fisheries management. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 154:4. DOI: 10.1093/tafafs/vnaf025
Hugentobler, S.A., J.L. Conrad, A. Goodbla, T. Sommer, and M.H. Meek, 2025. Genetic Assessment of Floodplain Habitat Use by Juvenile Chinook Salmon. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 23:2. DOI: 10.15447/sfews.2025v23iss2art4
Hugentobler, S.A., A. Sturrock, M. Willmes, T.Q. Thompson, R. Johnson, F. Cordoleani, N. Stauffer-Olsen, G. Whitman, and M.H. Meek. 2024. Remnant salmon life history diversity rediscovered in a highly compressed habitat. Evolutionary Applications, 17:7. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13741
Willmes, M., A. Sturrock, F. Cordoleani, S.A. Hugentobler, M.H. Meek, G. Whitman, K. Evans, E. Palkovacs, N. Stauffer-Olsen, and R. Johnson. 2024. Integrating otolith and genetic tools to reveal intraspecific biodiversity in a highly impacted salmon population. Journal of Fish Biology, 105:2. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15847
Kirsch, J.E., J.T. Peterson, A. Duarte, D. Goodman, A. Goodman, S.A. Hugentobler, M.H. Meek, R.W. Perry, C. Phillis, L. Smith, and J. Stuart. 2024. Imperfect detection and misidentification affect inferences from data informing water operation decision. North American Journal of Fisheries Management,44:2. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10974