Welcome
The Department of Microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been consistently ranked as one of the best microbiology departments in the United States. There are 21 research laboratories, approximately 80 graduate students, and 20 post-doctoral fellows in the department. Thus, it is large enough to provide a stimulating research environment but small enough to allow close interactions between the faculty and graduate students.
The Department of Microbiology is a part of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), which includes the Departments of Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Molecular and Integrative Physiology. The department is part of an umbrella program in MCB that encompasses 80 different research laboratories. Students admitted into any of these departmental graduate programs can select faculty thesis advisors from over 60 active research laboratories in the school. Close ties are also maintained with the School of Integrative Biology, the School of Chemical Sciences, the College of Medicine, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
John E. Cronan, Head
Microbiology News
In a new study, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Kevin Xiang and colleagues show that the PGE2 stimulation attenuates the adrenergic-induced cardiac contractile response in animal hearts. Read more...
Not that long ago in a hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, two groups of genetically indistinguishable microbes parted ways. They began evolving into different species – despite the fact that they still encountered one another in their acidic, boiling habitat and even exchanged some genes from time to time, researchers report. Read more...
A fundamental breakthrough in biological science occurred in 1977, and most biologists did not notice: a paper by Professor of Microbiology Carl Woese that compared sequence snippets derived from small subunit rRNAs of different organisms. Read more...
Nature Reviews Microbiology has published an editorial lauding the contributions of Crafoord Prize recipient Professor of Microbiology Carl Woese. Read more...
Professor of Microbiology James Slauch has been recognized as a University Scholar. The program recognizes the university’s most talented teachers, scholars and researchers. Read more...