Jonathan Dennis

Jonathan Dennis, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. He specializes in Molecular Microbiology with a focus on bacterial pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance, and phage therapy. His research targets the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), a group of opportunistic pathogens causing severe infections in cystic fibrosis patients. He develops bacteriophage-based therapies to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He teaches courses such as GENET 270, MICRB 316, and MICRB 516.

His research combines genetic and genomic approaches to identify virulence factors in Bcc and explores phage isolation, characterization, and aerosol delivery for clinical applications. Key projects include phage-antibiotic synergies and phage therapy efficacy in animal models. He has pioneered the use of Galleria mellonella larvae and rice plant models for infection studies.

Dr. Dennis leads a lab with expertise in phage genomics, synthetic biology, and respiratory infection treatments. His work aims to overcome antibiotic resistance through phage cocktails and modified phages. He collaborates on developing inhalable phage powders and investigates phage-mediated virulence reduction in bacteria.