Patricia Waikel

Patricia Waikel serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University, actively instructing within the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. She leads multiple undergraduate laboratory sections spanning phage discovery and genomic analysis, utilizing Microbacterium foliorum as the primary host organism.

Her research and teaching expertise focuses on integrating authentic microbiological research into undergraduate curricula through both wet-lab (in situ) phage isolation techniques and computational (in silico) genomic analysis. This dual approach advances student competency in bacteriophage characterization while contributing to large-scale evolutionary science initiatives. Her pedagogical framework emphasizes hands-on skill development across microbiology, sequencing, and bioinformatics.

Since Fall 2019, Dr. Waikel has instructed over 300 students across 11 course sections, ranging from freshmen to seniors in courses including BSC2010L and BSC3441L. Her teaching load consistently involves 3-hour weekly laboratory sessions with cohorts of 15-24 students, demonstrating sustained commitment to undergraduate research education.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

As a core SEA-PHAGES instructor, she mentors students through complete phage discovery pipelines—from initial soil sampling to genomic annotation—and collaborates with colleagues like Jaime Mayoral and Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty. Her work directly supports the program's mission to transform biology education through authentic research experiences, with contributions extending to national workshops and symposia.