Sheryl Konrad

Sheryl Konrad serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Biology Department at Carthage College, actively teaching SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) courses since Fall 2018 through projected sections in Fall 2025. She instructs multiple sections of BIO1110 annually, focusing on undergraduate bacteriophage discovery and microbiology.

Her research interests center on microbiology and bacteriophage genomics, with emphasis on undergraduate science education through authentic research experiences. Through the HHMI-funded SEA-PHAGES program, she engages students in isolating and characterizing novel phages using hosts like Mycobacterium smegmatis and Microbacterium foliorum, contributing to evolutionary science pedagogy.

Dr. Konrad has mentored over 200 freshmen across 9 course sections (2018-2025), each requiring 7 weekly lab hours. As a core SEA-PHAGES institutional member, she implements standardized protocols for phage discovery and bioinformatics, participating in national workshops and symposia coordinated by HHMI.

She leads laboratory instruction within Carthage College's Biology Department, utilizing the SEA-PHAGES framework that includes Phage Genomics Guides, Genome Exchange resources, and collaborative forums for student research dissemination.