Nitya Jacob

Dr. Nitya Jacob has been a member of the Oxford College faculty since the Fall semester of 2002.  She received her B.A. in Biology with Honor, Phi Beta Kappa, from Agnes Scott College in 1995 and her Ph.D. in Horticulture and Crop Science from The Ohio State University in 2000.  From 2000-2002 she was an NSF Teaching Postdoctoral Associate at Knox College.  Dr. Jacob provided leadership for the Oxford College Biology department from 2008-2017 and served as Chair of the Natural Science and Mathematics Division from 2017-2024. She is currently the Interim Director of the Oxford Center for Teaching and Scholarship (OCTS). She teaches courses at the introductory level which incorporate these topics. Dr. Jacob has been recognized for her teaching with the 2004 Award for Exemplary Teaching at a methodist-related institution of higher education, the 2011 Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching, and named for excellent teaching by multiple students inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society chapter at Emory University. 

Her current scholarly projects are focused on science education. She incorporated authentic research into the introductory biology curriculum for which she received the AAAS-Science Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) Prize in 2011 with an accompaning article in Science. Engaging with students in research as an essential component of her courses continues to be Dr. Jacob's passion. In 2012, she was selected through a competitive national search by the joint initiative of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health – National Institute of General Medical Studies to be one of 40 Vision and Change Leadership Fellows for the Partnership in Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) project. The mission of PULSE to stimulate national transformation of undergraduate biology education using a department-level focus.  Dr. Jacob was elected to serve as the President of PULSE from 2022-24 and continues to be actively engaged in the scholarly work of the organization.

Early in her career at Oxford, Dr. Jacob brought the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program to Oxford and served as its director from 2006-2012. Her disciplinary expertise is in the area of plant biotechnology, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, and applied biology. Her past research within her discipline included investigating microbial communities associated with granite outcrop plants using molecular techniques, the study of nodule-expressed genes in Rhizobium-alfalfa symbiosis and the evolutionary background of anionic peroxidase gene regulation in Nicotiana tabacum. Dr. Jacob received the Association of Southeastern Biologists' 2005 Faculty Research Award for her paper on tobacco gene regulation. She also served two terms as an elected Biology Division Councilor in the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) from 2010-2016 and is an American Society of Microbiology Biology Scholar (2011 Assessment Residency) and served as a mentor for the program.  

On the personal side, Dr. Jacob was born and raised in Ahmednagar, India. While being a scientist, Dr. Jacob pursues her interest in music and other subjects. She is trained in Indian classical vocal music and Western choral music. Dr. Jacob performed with the Oxford College Chorale for several years. She also enjoys photography, being in nature, and reading classic literature. Dr. Jacob travels to India periodically to spend time with family and was a leader for Emory University’s Journeys of Reconciliation trip to India in 2007.