Dr. Janina M. Jeff

Teaches at TLG Learning

Dr. Janina M. Jeff is a Human Geneticist and the first African American to graduate with a PhD in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt University. She is currently a Senior Scientist at Illumina, a biotech company that creates genetic technology for companies such as Ancestry.com and 23 & Me. Her research career has been largely focused on the discovery of genetic loci that impact admixed populations, Hispanics and African Americans, for complex common diseases. She is an expert in statistical design and interpretation of large-scale genomic data as well as content design scientist for genotyping arrays.

Dr. Jeff’s passion, however, is deeply rooted in the community. Dr. Jeff has taught a breadth of undergraduate and graduate courses in biology, genetics, and statistics. She has also taught K-12 science courses and during her graduate career, served as the first grade scientist for the Scientists in the Classroom Partnership with Nashville Public Schools and Vanderbilt University. Dr. Jeff is also a STEAM-activist and motivational speaker, with 5-10 invited speaking engagements annually. All of this work has led to Dr. Jeff to organically evolve into a public figure as she was featured on the cover of The Network Journal and the Spelman Messenger, discussing her experience in genetics education in the community and her career journey. In addition to her professional and community work, Dr. Jeff is also a podcaster! She was recently selected as one of three winners (of 18,000) from Spotify’s Sound-Up Bootcamp for her podcast, “In Those Genes”, which is a podcast that uses genetics to uncover the lost identities of African Americans.