Peter Nelson

Peter Nelson is a Lecturer at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, serving as Primary Instructor for the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. He taught multiple sections of both "In situ" (phage discovery/microbiology) and "In silico" (phage genomics/bioinformatics) courses from 2014 through 2016, and was an Additional Instructor for a Spring 2019 section, supervising 61 undergraduate students across six course offerings.

His research focuses on:

• Microbial genetics and bacteriophage biology
• Genomic analysis of phage-host interactions
• Undergraduate research pedagogy in bioinformatics
• Evolutionary mechanisms in viral systems

Work centers on Mycobacterium smegmatis as primary host organism, with one section utilizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, advancing phage genomics education through hands-on laboratory and computational training.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards documented in source material

Dr. Nelson mentored 61 students across multiple SEA-PHAGES sections between 2014-2016, with course structures ranging from 2-5 weekly contact hours. Freshmen comprised 67% of participants, reflecting the program's focus on early-career research immersion. Sections consistently used M. smegmatis except for one tuberculosis-focused offering. No grant funding details or formal advisee relationships beyond course instruction were specified in available records.