Sarah Nelson discovered her love of languages and cultural exchange when, at the ages of six and eleven, she lived with her family in Norway and Austria. In addition to French, she has studied German, Norwegian, Mandarin, Latin, Italian, Spanish, and a little Wolof. She has spent a total of five years living, studying, and working in France, Belgium, and Switzerland; she looks forward to visiting and studying the Francophone world outside of Europe, and she began by traveling to Senegal in summer 2011.

Before joining the University of Idaho faculty, Sarah held visiting positions at Bates College and Bowdoin College. Her research focus has broadened from the French Renaissance to the early modern period, but her interest in questions of gender has remained constant. At the University of Idaho, she has served as president of Phi Beta Kappa and has taken an active part in University initiatives on the core curriculum, institutional diversity, and undergraduate advising.