Sarah Bordenstein

Research Interests

My research explores how bacterial symbionts, and the viruses they carry, shape the biology and evolution of their animal hosts. I focus on Wolbachia, the most widespread bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods, and its bacteriophage WO, using comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and phage biology to understand how genes move among viruses, bacteria, and animals and how those exchanges give rise to new ways of interacting with hosts. This work has contributed to identifying the phage genes behind cytoplasmic incompatibility, the mechanism that underlies Wolbachia-based mosquito control programs against dengue and Zika, and to ongoing efforts to bring Wolbachia phages into formal viral classification.

An equally central priority is bringing authentic discovery into classrooms at scale. As Director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project, I build and study the structures that allow high school and college students to do real research: collecting arthropods, sequencing DNA, and depositing novel Wolbachia sequences into public databases. My current focus is on course-based research experiences in large-enrollment courses, including Penn State's introductory biology sequence, which reaches nearly 2,000 students each year; a Research-Education Community of Practice that connects AP and biotechnology teachers who often work in isolation; and training pathways that prepare high school students for careers in the life sciences. Since moving to Penn State in 2022, the project has supported more than 425 educators and 24,000 students.