Allison Johnson

Allison Johnson is a faculty instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. She has taught over 30 sections of phage discovery and genomics courses since 2014, leading both laboratory-based (in situ) and bioinformatics-focused (in silico) instruction for undergraduate students.

Her research interests center on bacteriophage biology, genomic analysis, and microbiology education, with courses utilizing diverse bacterial hosts including Mycobacterium smegmatis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Gordonia terrae. Johnson primarily teaches freshmen and sophomores in courses meeting twice weekly for 2–4 hours, with class sizes ranging from 8 to 36 students across terms.

As a dedicated educator in the SEA-PHAGES program, Johnson facilitates authentic undergraduate research experiences in phage isolation and genomic characterization. Her long-standing involvement since 2014 demonstrates sustained commitment to advancing science education through hands-on microbiological and computational training.