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Sherrie Bain’s love for nature has nurtured her career in the sciences. 

During her childhood in the Bahamas and South Florida, she spent much time in the natural environment, around the ocean, “just roaming freely,” she said. “That heavily influenced my desire to become a scientist.”

Bain ’00 was a biology major at UTampa, and after graduating, she became a fisheries biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Honolulu before working in academia for a few years. Later, she was the first senior microbiologist at the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, which is highly regarded for its marine exhibitions, ocean conservation efforts and educational programs. There, she established new research projects, such as generating one of the first genetic sequences for the Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, one of the largest bony fish in the world.

“I did an internship at the Florida Aquarium when I was a student at UTampa, so it was kind of full circle to end up at the Monterey Bay Aquarium,” Bain said. 

Ultimately, her undergraduate coursework, graduate work and her new business have all been focused on microbiology, marine and otherwise, an interest first inspired by now-retired Professor Wayne Price’s parasitology class. 

She remembers parasitology as the hardest class she ever took (even counting her Ph.D. program), but it latched onto her. It became one of her favorite classes, and Price became a mentor.

Wanting to start her own business, in 2023, Bain officially launched BainSTEM, a microbiology consulting firm, providing services like infectious disease testing at dairy and fish farms, developing STEM curriculum in schools and household mold assessment.

Monterey County is one of the main agricultural hubs in the country, and Bain applies her expertise to the dairy industry in the region. “I did my Ph.D. dissertation on the primary dairy disease called bovine mastitis and how it impacts milk production and outcomes in terms of organic versus conventional dairy farms in California,” she explained.

Even from the West Coast, some of Bain’s work overlaps with marine microbiology in Florida. Toxic algal blooms that affect species on both coasts are becoming more common, so she is studying how to preemptively address harmful issues in marine microbiology like red tides. 

When Bain needs a break from heavy research and data, she again turns to nature for solace and creativity. She finds an artistic outlet in her garden and her side hustle, Cool Breeze Creations, a line of handmade land-and-sea-inspired jewelry and home décor. 

“The intensity of my academic experience in science can be all-consuming,” she said. “I think it’s really important to have a balance.”