Jim Neitzel

Jim Neitzel serves as a Lecturer at The Evergreen State College, where he has been the Primary Instructor for multiple sections of the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program since 2014. His teaching spans both in situ (phage discovery/microbiology) and in silico (phage genomics/bioinformatics) coursework utilizing Mycobacterium smegmatis and Microbacterium foliorum hosts across undergraduate levels.

His research focuses on bacteriophage biology through hands-on genomic analysis and microbial characterization. Courses emphasize practical techniques in DNA purification, phage isolation, and bioinformatics tools, engaging students in authentic scientific discovery within evolutionary microbiology frameworks. Instruction adapts weekly to experimental progress, with meeting structures ranging from 1-3 sessions totaling 1.5-6 hours.

Neitzel has taught 12 course sections between 2014-2017, instructing 368 students total with consistent enrollment of sophomores and juniors. Class sizes varied from 3 advanced researchers (Fall 2017) to 40-student introductory cohorts (Fall 2016), maintaining structured progression from phage isolation to genomic annotation.