In the Department of Microbiology

Finding solutions to global challenges, such as the emergence of new infectious diseases, skyrocketing antimicrobial resistance, and the health of our planet's ecosystems, will depend upon discoveries from microbiology research. Illinois microbiology faculty focus on the physiology, genetics, and pathogenesis of microbial organisms and viruses.

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Microbiology News

Read article: MCB faculty awarded named scholar appointments
MCB faculty awarded named scholar appointments
The College of LAS has awarded more than 25 professors, including three from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, with named scholar positions for their contributions to education and research at the University of Illinois.  The awardees from MCB are as follows: LAS...
Read article: New research challenges longstanding assumptions of evolutionary metal preferences 
New research challenges longstanding assumptions of evolutionary metal preferences 
As pathogenic bacteria play a game of cat and mouse with the human body’s immune system, the pathogens must adapt to changes in the environment to stay ahead of the immune system’s defenses. New findings by Illinois researchers challenge longstanding assumptions of how a particular family of...
Read article: Antibiotics vs Microbes: Wilson’s New Book Investigates Our War Against Pathogens
Antibiotics vs Microbes: Wilson’s New Book Investigates Our War Against Pathogens
The recent rise in cases of a drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris has prompted hospitals and nursing homes to be on alert and sparked concern among scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which deemed it an “urgent microbial resistance threat.” The...
Read article: Researchers make new insights into bacterial cell cycle
Researchers make new insights into bacterial cell cycle
Ask any scientist what happens after they have made a discovery. Rarely has the answer been that they’re done. Instead, each discovery often leads to new questions and new lines of research to pursue, much like a seed that’s been planted and nourished through its life cycle.  It’s fitting, then,...
Read article: Wind-chill out! Researchers discover how flow stresses out bacterial pathogens
Wind-chill out! Researchers discover how flow stresses out bacterial pathogens
Residents of northern states are familiar with the concept and reality of windchill. With the combination of strong winds and the chilly weather, we become more sensitive; it feels colder than the registered temperature. Researchers from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the...
Read article: Researchers shed new light on how copper poisons microbes
Researchers shed new light on how copper poisons microbes
For years, copper has been used ubiquitously in health care to stave off bacterial infections—from doorknobs in hospital rooms to catheters and IUDs—and yet how the element does so is unclear. In a new publication in Molecular Microbiology, researchers from the University of Illinois...
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Collaborative & Impactful

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Faculty Research

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Our world-class faculty lead many exciting research programs in the physiology, genetics, and pathogenesis of microbial organisms and viruses. Labs explore archaeal biology, bacteriophage biology, drug discovery, eukaryotic virology, gene regulation, host-pathogen interaction, microbial communities/microbiome, microbial physiology, molecular evolution, and oxidative stress.

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PhD in Microbiology

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Microbes are the dominant organisms on the planet and drive all aspects of life. The Department of Microbiology is a close-knit group of scientists who are driving discoveries in bacterial and archaeal biology and physiology, bacterial and viral pathogenesis, antibiotic discovery, and microbial ecology and evolution. As a PhD student in microbiology, you will be part of a thriving, supportive community of researchers.

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Microbial Systems Initiative

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Microbial Systems Initiative, or MSI, is a vibrant cross-campus community of microbial sciences researchers who address problems in health, agriculture, energy, and other sectors. The Microbial Early-career Researchers Association (MicroERA) organizes professional development and networking opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Upcoming Microbiology Events

Meet MCB's microbiology community

Read article: Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Neha Arun
Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Neha Arun
MCB major Neha Arun shares her experiences working as an undergraduate researcher in Professor Collin Kieffer's lab in the Department of Microbiology, as well as a look at life outside the lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  Can you summarize your research in the Kieffer Lab?  My...
Read article: Meet MCB: Microbiology PhD student Stefanie Eben
Meet MCB: Microbiology PhD student Stefanie Eben
From studying E. coli to riding horses, Stefanie Eben says she has found the perfect mixture of academic and personal fulfillment at the University of Illinois. Eben, a microbiology PhD student in the lab of professor James Imlay, spoke with MCB's communications team about her love of microbiology...
Read article: Meet MCB: Microbiology professor Paola Mera
Meet MCB: Microbiology professor Paola Mera
Dr. Paola Mera is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology. Dr. Mera's research program combines bacterial genetics, biochemistry, and high-resolution...
Read article: Susan Brennan (BS, ’85, microbiology) has built a career in sustainability, solving problems
Susan Brennan (BS, ’85, microbiology) has built a career in sustainability, solving problems
Growing up in the Illinois steel town of Granite City, Susan Brennan was certain once she left, she would never live near a factory again. However, in the years after graduating from the University of Illinois, she would become a leading voice in rethinking and transforming American manufacturing....

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Explore our history

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The Department of Microbiology at UIUC has a rich history of seminal discoveries and microbiologists who have increased our biological understanding and advanced the field of microbiology, such as Carl Woese, who discovered the Archaea, a new domain of life distinct from bacteria and eukarya, and Abigail Salyers, who pioneered studies of bactericides polysaccharide utilization and its role in colonic fermentation.