Jonathan Finkel

Jonathan Finkel is an Assistant Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy actively involved in the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. He has taught undergraduate biology courses focused on phage discovery and genomics since Fall 2017 across multiple academic terms.

His research centers on microbiology and phage genomics, with specific emphasis on bacteriophage isolation using Mycobacterium smegmatis and Microbacterium foliorum hosts. Through the SEA-PHAGES framework, he integrates evolutionary science and bioinformatics into hands-on genomic analysis for students, fostering discovery-based learning in microbial diversity and genomic annotation.

Dr. Finkel has instructed BIO 1210/2200 General Biology Laboratory sections for freshmen in Fall 2017 (11 students), Fall 2018 (16 students), Fall 2020 (6 students), Fall 2021 (11 students), Fall 2022 (13 students), Fall 2023 (14 students), Fall 2024 (14 students), and Fall 2025 (16 students). He also taught BIO1040 Fundamentals of Bioinformatics in Winter 2018 (19 students) as part of the ReBUILDetroit program and SEA-GENES Advanced Microbial courses in Winter 2022 (32 students total across two sections for juniors and seniors).

Within the SEA community, he supervises undergraduate research projects through structured course frameworks, guiding students from soil sampling to genomic characterization. His sections consistently meet twice weekly for 6 hours, emphasizing immersive laboratory work. He participates in program-wide initiatives including Phage Genomics Workshops and the annual SEA Symposium.