Manuela Tripepi

Manuela Tripepi serves as Associate Professor of Biology at Thomas Jefferson University's College of Life Sciences, where she concurrently holds leadership roles as Program Director for Biology and Course Director for Microbiology at the East Falls Campus in Philadelphia, PA.

Her academic credentials include dual doctoral degrees: a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2013) and a PhD from Italy's University of Calabria (2008), complemented by Summa cum Laude Laurea degrees (Master's 2005, Bachelor's 2003) in Biology from the same Italian institution.

Dr. Tripepi's research program investigates stress response mechanisms across diverse organisms, with current emphasis on sub-optimal temperature and UV light effects on Haloferax volcanii motility. Parallel to her fundamental microbiology work, she pioneers curriculum development through inquiry-based laboratory activities designed to enhance undergraduate biology education, including pandemic-era wildlife observation protocols published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education.

Her publication record reveals a distinctive integration of archaeal biology research and pedagogical innovation, featuring studies on archaeal motility regulation alongside creative educational tools like origami/Shrinky Dinks for teaching microbiology concepts and virtual lab adaptations for remote learning.

As an undergraduate research mentor, she guides students through original wildlife monitoring projects using direct observation and literature review methodologies. Her curriculum development work has produced nationally recognized laboratory activities that strengthen scientific method comprehension.

Within the Department of Biology, Dr. Tripepi directs microbiology curriculum development and leads research on archaeal stress responses, maintaining active laboratory work while advancing educational frameworks for pandemic-resilient science instruction.