Bio 153 Phage Discovery Lead UTA/Floater Spring 2026

Lead UTAs for Phage Discovery will mentor new UTAs and work closely with graduate TAs to troubleshoot and implement best practices in the lab.

Lead UTAs float between 4 lab sections each week during the same time slot. They will assist graduate TAs and UTAs with locating supplies, answering student questions, demonstrating proper technique, discussing experimental design and data analysis, and providing moral support and motivation for the students and TAs during their time slot. 

Name of research group, project, or lab
Phage Discovery labs
Website
https://seaphages.org
Why participate in this opportunity?

Being a lead UTA will give you leadership experience in the Phage Discovery project, help you learn more about teaching, share knowledge, connect with other students, and prepare for other leadership roles. This experience will require you to have a very strong understanding of the material covered in the course in order to explain, teach, and effectively problem solve with other members of the teaching team. 

Logistics Information:
Subject Category
Biology
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Student ranks applicable
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Student qualifications

To become a Lead UTA for this course, you should have completed the Phage Discovery curriculum in a previous semester AND worked as a UTA for Phage Discovery for at least one semester. You should have an excellent understanding of the Phage Discovery project, be enthusiastic about working hard and helping your peers and have excellent teamwork and communication skills. 

  1. Apply for this position through the PROPEL site. See https://propel.umass.edu/propel-information-students for instructions.
  2. In your PROPEL application materials, indicate why you're interested in this position, the strengths you bring to your work as a Lead UTA, and what you think Lead UTAs in this course should do to help new UTAs and GTAs succeed.
  3. For your application to be complete, you must also fill out this form to indicate your availability

All lead UTAs will receive a $1500 stipend for this position.

Time commitment
5-7 h/wk
Position Types and Compensation
Teaching - Paid, General
Number of openings
14
Techniques learned

Lead UTAs in Phage Discovery will become more proficient in laboratory course teaching methods, troubleshooting phage experiments, working with student groups, and mentoring new UTAs and GTAs. 

Project start
Spring semester, 2026
Contact Information:
Mentor
Jess Rocheleau
jmrocheleau@umass.edu
Principal Investigator
Name of project director or principal investigator
Jess Rocheleau
Email address of project director or principal investigator
jmrocheleau@umass.edu
14 sp. | 0 appl.
Hours
5-7 h/wk
Project categories
Microbiology (+2)
BiologyMicrobiologyMolecular Biology