Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness but a mental state in which engineers can effectively cope with stress, realize their potential, and contribute to society.

Sarah A. Wilson, Ph.D., P.E.

(Call me Dr. Wilson)
Pronouns: she/her/hers (Why this matters?)
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Pigman College of Engineering
University of Kentucky

Email: s.wilson@uky.edu

Who am I?

Dr. Sarah Wilson (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Kentucky. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rowan University and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massacusetts. She started her career as a teaching faculty member, with a focus on undergraduate education, and has over a decade of experience teaching in the chemical engineering classroom, including running the undergraduate unit operations laboratory. Dr. Wilson is a nationally recognized educator, receiving awards such as the ASEE Ray W. Fahien Award, the Tau Beta Pi Outstanding Teaching Award, and the Provost Outstanding Teaching Award. Beyond the classroom, she is deeply engaged in professional service through leadership roles with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), where she currently serves as Second Vice Chair of the Societal Impact Operating Council.

Dr. Wilson’s research focuses on engineering education, mental health, and student success. She explores how mental health—broadly defined as the ability to cope with stress, realize one’s potential, and contribute to society—affects help-seeking, retention, and performance, especially among students from historically excluded groups. Her work is deeply rooted in inclusive, participatory research methods that elevate the student voice in defining key challenges and developing interventions. Currently, she is working to launch the Engineering Wellness Center (EWC) at UK, an NSF sponsored Center aimed at embedding mental health support into the Pigman College of Engineering at UK. Further, she has led the development of mental health training programs that have reached over 6,000 students across the Colleges of Engineering, Business and Nursing at UK.

As an educator, Dr. Wilson is committed to building inclusive, student-centered learning environments that empower students to thrive. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in equity—recognizing that students’ diverse life experiences shape how they learn and engage. She integrates flexible policies, clear expectations, and structured support to foster trust and transparency. In her courses, she blends fundamental theory with hands-on, real-world applications, helping students develop as innovative problem solvers and effective communicators. She also prioritizes mental health and team development, supporting students in building social-emotional skills that serve them as engineers, teammates, and leaders. Through this holistic approach, Dr. Wilson aims to equip all students with the tools they need to succeed in engineering and beyond.

Pathway to engineering

Dr. Wilson grew up in Pennsylvania and is a true Philadelphia sport’s fan. She spent much of her childhood dancing before discovering a passion for math and chemistry that led her to majoring in chemical engineering at Rowan University. Even though she didn’t initially know what chemical engineering was, she quickly fell in love with its creative, open-ended problem solving and the excitement of finding multiple solutions to complex challenges.

Outside the classroom

When shes not teaching, Dr. Wilson enjoys cooking, crocheting, reading, going to the gym, and training in aerial silks, sling, and lyra. She also spends time in her vegetable garden and at home with her two cats, Ivy and Charlie.

Advice for students

Dr. Wilson’s favorite part of her work is getting to know students and watching them grow into confident engineers and problem solvers. Her biggest piece of advice to students is to embrace being a learner: “Engineers often feel pressure to always know the answer—but real growth comes from getting comfortable with not knowing, asking questions, and learning how to problem-solve with support.”