Christine Byrum

Christine Byrum serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the College of Charleston and is a core faculty member in the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. She has led multiple course sections annually since 2017, specializing in bacteriophage research education.

Her research integrates in silico (computational) and in situ (wet-lab) methodologies for phage discovery and genome analysis. Primary focus areas include mycobacteriophage and gordoniaphage genomics using hosts like Mycobacterium smegmatis and Gordonia terrae, with emphasis on genome annotation pipelines and bioinformatics applications. This work directly informs her teaching curriculum across undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dr. Byrum has mentored 157+ students through SEA-PHAGES courses between 2017-2023, including Marine Biology MS candidates in graduate sections. Her instruction occurs within the HHMI-funded SEA-PHAGES framework, which provides national infrastructure for phage genomics education and student research training.

She collaborates with colleagues like Ana Zimmerman on Molecular Biology Lab courses and participates in the SEA-PHAGES national network, contributing to community-driven phage research standards and educational resources.