Jessica McCoy

Jessica McCoy is a Lecturer at the College of Charleston serving as Primary Instructor for multiple BIOL312L (Molecular Biology Laboratory) sections through the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. She teaches both "in situ" (phage discovery/microbiology) and "in silico" (phage genomics/bioinformatics) course formats across Spring and Fall semesters from 2023 through 2025.

Her research and teaching focus on Phage Genomics, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, and Molecular Biology, engaging undergraduate students in authentic research experiences with Mycobacterium smegmatis as the bacterial host. Through the national SEA-PHAGES network, she guides students in phage isolation, characterization, and genomic analysis.

As an active SEA-PHAGES participant, Jessica McCoy teaches 1-2 sections per semester with 13-16 students each (primarily juniors and seniors), contributing to a collaborative initiative involving hundreds of institutions. She participates in program events including the Phage Genomics Workshop and SEA Symposium, maintaining continuous involvement from Fall 2023 through scheduled Spring 2025 instruction.