Robin Cotter

Robin Cotter serves as Lecturer at Phoenix College, instructing Bio 205 CURE (Microbiology for Allied Health) courses within the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. She teaches multiple sections across Fall 2025, Fall 2024, and Spring 2024 semesters with 23-26 students per section, utilizing bacterial hosts Arthrobacter globiformis and Microbacterium foliorum for hands-on phage discovery.

Her research focuses on bacteriophage isolation and characterization within undergraduate educational frameworks. Specific work includes isolating 3 phages from Microbacterium foliorum and 3 from Arthrobacter globiformis during Spring 2024, contributing to microbial diversity studies and host-pathogen interaction models through course-based research experiences.

As part of the SEA-PHAGES network, she mentors students in microbiology techniques while participating in program-wide initiatives like the Phage Genomics Workshop and SEA Symposium. Her instructional approach integrates phage discovery with genomics analysis, preparing allied health students for laboratory careers through authentic research.