Kathleen Cornely

Kathleen Cornely is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Providence College, serving as primary instructor for the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program since Spring 2019. She teaches both laboratory-based "in situ" phage discovery courses and computational "in silico" bioinformatics courses across multiple course levels (BIO 103L, CHM 121L, CHM 196, CHM 295/296, CHM 395/396, CHM 495/496), consistently using Mycobacterium smegmatis as the host organism. Her teaching spans all undergraduate class levels from freshmen to seniors, with section sizes ranging from 1 to 16 students per semester.

Professor Cornely's research focuses on bacteriophage genomics and evolutionary analysis through the SEA-PHAGES framework. Her work integrates:

• Phage isolation and characterization techniques in microbiology laboratories
• Genome annotation and bioinformatics analysis pipelines
• Evolutionary studies of phage-host interactions using M. smegmatis
• Development of undergraduate research methodologies in genomic science

As an active SEA-PHAGES participant, she contributes to the national phage genomics initiative through course instruction and student mentorship. Her involvement includes presenting at SEA events such as the Phage Discovery Workshops and SEA Symposium, with scheduled participation in the 2025-2026 academic year programming. Professor Cornely's teaching demonstrates sustained commitment to authentic research integration in undergraduate science education, with continuous course offerings through Fall 2025.