Her Story
About Sarah
Sarah Rolli serves as Senior Yeast and Fermentation Scientist at Molson Coors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In this role, she maintains microbiology lab standards across breweries, provides support for food safety issues, conducts lab work for research projects, and oversees brewing yeast strains to ensure consistent product quality. Her background includes more than 10 years in biochemical and cell biological research, with a focus on yeast stress mechanisms during her doctoral studies. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and completed her PhD in Biological Sciences from Marquette University in 2025, along with a General Certificate in Brewing from the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers that same year. Rolli has been in the beverage industry for one and a half years. She attributes her professional success to perseverance, dedication, and a supportive network that encouraged her growth. Rolli values respecting others, mentoring colleagues, maintaining integrity, and holding herself accountable. She advises young women entering the field to advocate for themselves, seek mentors, and recognize the growing support for women in brewing and STEM research.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance, dedication, and a really good support system throughout my career who believed in me and pushed me to believe in myself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
There is no getting lucky. Luck is just taking advantage of an opportunity for yourself and making the most out of that opportunity. If we set a goal for ourselves, doing all of the work to achieve that goal is sometimes perceived as falling into it because I was lucky, but really I made it happen.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Advocate for yourself and push for whatever opportunities you need to advance your career. Always make sure you're advocating for yourself, but also find mentors that can help support you and guide you. Having a good mentor network can really be helpful for navigating the fields and STEM research in general.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Brewing is such a long historical industry, but we still have more to learn about how the yeast function in brewing settings for optimization.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My most important values would be respecting others and meeting them where they are, mentoring, integrity, and keeping yourself accountable.
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