Deepa DeSilva

Deepa DeSilva serves as a Lecturer at Montana Technological University, where she functions as Primary Instructor for the HHMI-funded SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program. In Fall Semester 2020, she led course BIOB426-01—a 3-hour weekly 'In situ' phage discovery laboratory using Mycobacterium smegmatis as host bacterium for 13 senior undergraduate students.

Her academic focus centers on bacteriophage genomics and microbiology education, leveraging the SEA-PHAGES curriculum to integrate authentic research into undergraduate training. This nationally recognized program emphasizes hands-on genomic analysis and evolutionary biology through phage isolation and characterization.

Ms. DeSilva has directly mentored 13 senior students in microbiological techniques and genomic workflows, contributing to the broader SEA network that connects over 200 institutions in phage-based science education.