PhD Programs

headshot of Christina Rosenberger

Five Minutes With: Medical writer Christina Rosenberger (PhD, '16, cell and developmental biology)

In this new series of interviews with members of the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology community, we chat with Christina Rosenberger (PhD, 2016, cell and developmental biology), a medical writer and clinical research specialist with the National Cancer Institute's...
A large group of people gathered in a conference center.

Congratulating the 2024 student award winners

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology honored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students at its annual award ceremony, held on May 2. These student awards, fellowships, and scholarships recognize academic achievement, research accomplishments, and excellence in teaching and are made...
Five students smile while holding award certificates.

Congratulations to winners of the 2024 Graduate Research Retreat

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce the award winners from the 2024 Graduate Research Retreat, held at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center on Friday, March 29. Awards were...
Nicole Godellas leads an outreach session with elementary school students.

From PhD to pre-K: How outreach changed Nicole Godellas's approach to science

Nicole Godellas recently earned her PhD in Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Along the way, she joined the Beckman Institute’s outreach team and learned a few lessons about communicating science to the general public....
Jhewelle Fitz-Henley stands outside Burrill Hall for headshot

Meet MCB: Jhewelle Fitz-Henley, PhD

Dr. Jhewelle Fitz-Henley joined the School of MCB in August 2023 as Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach. She recently met with MCB PhD student Quang Nguyen to talk about her journey in science and...
Alma statue wears cap and gown on a spring day.

School of MCB Celebrates Class of 2023

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology will celebrate the Class of 2023 with a convocation ceremony on Sunday, May 14, at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 AM (CST) and is expected to conclude around 10:30. 
Stefanie Eben looks up at the camera with a smile. She is standing next to an anaerobic chamber.

Researchers shed new light on how copper poisons microbes

Copper is deployed by our immune system to fight off pathogens and is also used in health care settings to stave off bacterial infections, but how the element does so is unclear. Now, research published in Molecular Microbiology by microbiologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign...
Alma Mater is all ready for the holidays with a winter scarf, ear muffs and holiday lights. Her garb is completed with a mask during this era of COVID-19.

School of MCB recognizes contributions of faculty, staff, grad students

The School of MCB is proud to recognize its stellar faculty and staff for their valuable contributions to the research and instructional missions of the school. At the 2022 Holiday Celebration, MCB director Milan Bagchi, Deborah Paul Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology, gave awards in...
Ruben Sanchez-Nieves stands smiling in the foyer of Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

Meet MCB: Ruben Sanchez-Nieves

PhD candidate Ruben Sanchez-Nieves from the Whitaker Lab looks to characterize and sequence plasmids such as Solfolobus Islandicus.
Exterior shot of IGB

MEET MCB: Daniel Castro

Castro joined the Department of Biochemistry in 2018 as a graduate student when he joined the Sweedler group to learn more about mass spectrometry. He works on developing new mass spectrometry approaches to measure individual cells and their chemical contents in a high-throughput fashion.