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Microbiology

Our faculty teach a wide portfolio of microbiology courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We also serve as the home department for the Graduate Field of Microbiology (with over 50 affiliated faculty members) and provide a center of expertise for numerous aspects of microbial biology. Research within our department is focused on prokaryotic molecular biology and environmental microbiology.

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Headshots of Lori Huberman and Heather Feaga

News

Grants fund high-risk research on fungal disease and antibiotic resistance

Schwartz Research Fund Visionary Grants for faculty members in the life sciences aims to provide significant assistance for innovative, visionary research that opens an important new line of inquiry.

  • Microbiology
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Aisha Burton landscape

Spotlight

Meet our faculty: Aisha Burton
Academic focus: Regulatory roles of bacterial microproteins Research summary: My research investigates how bacterial microproteins (100 amino acids or less) function as regulatory elements that tune core signaling and metabolic pathways. By...
  • Microbiology
Assorted bottles of penicillin

News

Turning penicillin into a lethal force against bacteria again

A new study reveals for the first time the metabolic changes that allow bacteria to survive high doses of penicillin, a classic β-lactam antibiotic. The study also uncovered a weakness in how the bacteria survive, which may help scientists find...

  • Microbiology
  • Disease
  • Medicine
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