Jason Gill

Dr. Jason Gill joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Science as an Assistant Professor in 2013.  Dr. Gill received a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences and a master’s degree in biology, both from Brock University in Ontario, Canada.  He obtained his doctoral degree from the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph (also in Canada), specializing in microbiology.  After obtaining his doctorate, Dr. Gill pursued postdoctoral training at Texas A&M in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and served as the inaugural Program Director of the Center for Phage Technology located at Texas A&M.

Dr. Gill’s major research focus is the biology and application of the viruses of bacteria, called bacteriophages or simply phages.  Phages are the most abundant organisms on Earth, and they are found ubiquitously in water, soil, and as part of the microbial flora of animals and plants.  As natural predators of bacteria, phages are attractive agents for the control of pathogenic bacteria in humans, animals, and foods.  The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria, and the desire to curtail use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, has sparked interest in the use of phages as antimicrobials.  Research in Dr. Gill’s lab encompasses phage genomics, basic phage biology and the applications of phages in real-world settings.

In addition to his appointment in Animal Science, Dr. Gill also is a member of the Center for Phage Technology, an interdisciplinary research and teaching initiative supported by Texas A&M.  Dr. Gill is a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the International Society for the Viruses of Microbes.