Tejas Bouklas

Tejas Bouklas is a Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), serving as primary instructor for the SEA-PHAGES program since 2021.

His research and teaching focus on bacteriophage discovery, microbial genomics, and bioinformatics education. The program encompasses:

• In situ sections: Students isolate and characterize bacteriophages using bacterial hosts including Mycobacterium smegmatis and Arthrobacter species.
• In silico sections: Students perform genomic annotation and evolutionary analysis of phage genomes.

Dr. Bouklas has instructed 14+ course sections since 2021, teaching over 200 undergraduate students across Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. His courses typically meet 4-5 times weekly for 10 hours (in situ) or 2 times for 6 hours (in silico), with enrollment ranging from 16-24 students per section. He collaborates with instructors Amanda Freise, Kris Reddi, and Daniel Velez-Ramirez.

He actively participates in the SEA community, with scheduled involvement in the 2025 Phage Genomics Workshop and 2026 SEA Symposium, demonstrating ongoing commitment to undergraduate phage genomics education.