Deborah Jacobs-Sera

Deborah Jacobs-Sera serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is a core member of the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program team. Her role focuses on laboratory instruction and curriculum development for undergraduate phage genomics research.

Her expertise centers on Phage Genomics and Bioinformatics, with specialized work involving Gordonia terrae as a bacterial host system. Through the SEA-PHAGES initiative, she designs hands-on genomic research experiences that integrate computational analysis with wet-lab techniques, emphasizing evolutionary biology applications in undergraduate education.

In Spring 2019, she instructed BIOSC 0068-1020 (In silico phage genomics/bioinformatics) for 18 undergraduate students across all academic levels, conducting weekly 3-hour sessions focused on phage annotation and genomic analysis. Her teaching methodology bridges theoretical concepts with practical bioinformatics tools through the HHMI-funded national curriculum.