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Boriana Marintcheva joined the Biology Department in the Fall of 2008. Currently she teaches Cell Biology, Virology and Molecular Biology courses with labs. Her research interests focus on the biology of virus-host interactions using bacteriophage T7/ Escherichia coli model system. Knowledge about the specifics of virus-host interactions in different systems has allowed the development of preventive and therapeutic measures aiming at diminishing the negative impact of viruses on human health, and using viruses for practical purposes such as biotechnology and drug delivery. While bacterial viruses are harmless to humans, they function in similar ways to animal viruses and often employ simpler molecular machinery. Historically, many aspects of viral biology were initially understood using bacteriophages and then applied to the more complex systems of animal viruses. In her research, Dr. Marintcheva uses techniques from molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry. Dr. Marintcheva is also passionate about science education, science promotion and development of pedagogical tools advancing teaching and learning.