Samantha Orchard is a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona, where she teaches courses about Biotechnology. She got a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Washington (Seattle), a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin (Madison), and post-doctoral experience in bacterial genetics from San Diego State University (California). After her postdoctoral training, she transitioned to working in the biotechnology industry, first at a small Biofuels start-up type company and then at a larger company that makes and sells enzymes for industrial applications. After more than 8 years in industry, she returned to academia in 2018 to bring her real-world biotechnology experience to the classroom.