Julia Massimelli Sewall, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, in the Netherlands. She serves as program director responsible for the development and evaluation of the MSc Biobased Materials, MSc Systems Biology and MSc Imaging Engineering portfolios. As a program director, she measures and implements constructive alignment of intended learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities and assessment, and prepares programs for (re)-accreditation. She also participates in cooperation activities between Maastricht University and academic and industrial partners. Prior to joining Maastricht University, she was an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at UC Irvine where she oversaw the department’s microbiology courses.

She has developed multiple microbiology courses, including general microbiology, microbial genetics, microbiology laboratory and CURE (Course-based undergraduate research experiences) in microbiology, including a microbiome CURE of her own design. Massimelli Sewall’s research focuses on microbiology, microbiome and development and validation of education instruments and tools. She was a 2013 American Society for Microbiology Teaching Fellow and a 2015 Biology Scholar, where she participated in a year-long assessment residency devoted to developing measurable student learning outcomes. She has also been a mentor for the Biology Scholars DBER Program.