Ze studeerde diergeneeskunde en wetenschapsgeschiedenis en promoveerde in 2007 aan de Universiteit van Pennsylvania in de wetenschapsgeschiedenis. Haar onderzoek richt zich op het begrip van ziekten door de tijd heen in relatie tot de context waarin wetenschappers werken; de geschiedenis van de diergeneeskunde; en de wijze waarop de wetenschap mens-dier relaties heeft beïnvloed. Over deze onderwerpen scheef zij verschillende artikelen en twee boeken, Valuing Animals: Veterinarians and Their Patients in Modern America (2003) en Death in a Small Package: A Short History of Anthrax (2010).

Susan D. Jones has been associate professor at the department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior of the University of Minnesota since 2005. She studied veterinary science and history of science and gained a PhD in 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focusses on the understanding of diseases through time in relation with the context in which scientists work; veterinary history; and how science has mediated human-animal relationships. She wrote several articles and two books, among which Valuing Animals: Veterinarians and Their Patients in Modern America (2003) and Death in a Small Package: A Short History of Anthrax (2010).