Dmitri Mavrodi

Dmitri Mavrodi serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi, actively engaged in the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) and SEA-GENES programs since 2015.

His research focuses on bacteriophage biology and genomics, utilizing hosts including Mycobacterium smegmatis, Microbacterium foliorum, and Brevibacterium iodinum. He has pioneered undergraduate integration of phage discovery and genomic analysis through courses like BSC 110LH and BSC 477L, emphasizing hands-on microbiology and bioinformatics training with bacteriophages Hammy and Xavia.

Dr. Mavrodi has mentored 150+ undergraduates across 10+ course sections (2015-2022), spanning freshmen to seniors in phage isolation, genome annotation, and hypothetical gene analysis. His instructional leadership in the Gene Detectives initiative demonstrates commitment to authentic research experiences, with weekly lab sessions totaling 3-6 hours per course and enrollment consistently exceeding 15 students per section.