Monika Oli

Instructional Professor, Microbiology and Cell Science

Dr. Monika Oli, a native German, is an instructional professor in the Microbiology and Cell Science department. Since her appointment in 2010, she has coordinated the logistics for the microbiology labs at UF, including teaching assistant training and creating a novel and creative curriculum. In 2012, she was awarded the UF Undergraduate Teacher of the Year award, and in 2017, the UF Undergraduate Faculty Advising/Mentor of the Year award. Monika is a creative lifelong learner and tries to keep up with innovations in teaching and learning to provide the best educational environment for her students, in the classroom and online.

Prior to joining UF as a lecturer, Dr. Oli spent almost 10 years in biotech startup companies directing R&D, including the involvement in grants and patents. She received her BSc from the University of Edinburgh, MS from Mississippi State University, and her PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Her Proposal: AI-ifying the Microbiology Laboratories

This transformative opportunity for microbiology laboratories at UF to embed AI to facilitate student learning, lab skills training, and experimental design will introduce 2,300 undergraduate students and 275 TAs to hands-on NaviGator prompt writing for troubleshooting protocols, interpreting results, and evaluating experimental designs.