Influenced by his professors (James Dawson, William Tavolga, and Herman Spieth particularly) Sherman pursued a graduate degree at University of Florida under the tutelage of W.C. Allee.
While taking graduate courses through CCNY Sherman spent the summer of 1957 at Marine Biological Laboratory where he met his future wife, Vilia Gay Turner.
[9] Sherman reports that while teaching science courses for non-majors, he gave lectures dressed in costume to impersonate famous scientists to increase student interest.
[1] After retiring from teaching in 2005 Sherman joined the Scripps Research Institute and at present is a visiting professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego.
[13][14] Sherman's 2007 book Twelve Diseases that Changed Our World has been commented upon for its approachable style, having been written for novices and casual readers rather than academic audiences.