Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (GDBBS)

The Program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) provides training in the study of microorganisms and the use of microbial models to investigate basic problems in molecular genetics.

Our faculty members have a wide range of expertise and interests, and our program offers a comprehensive education in the biology of microbes: bacterial genetics and physiology, microbial development, molecular biology of viruses and bacterial pathogens, mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogenesis, molecular biology of gene regulation, antibiotic resistance, antiviral and vaccine development.

The central goal of the MMG program is to train successful independent investigators in microbiology research. We teach our students the basic principles of microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular genetics, and train our students to read the original literature and interpret it critically. Our goal is to enable our students to construct hypotheses and to design experiments using contemporary technologies to tes  these hypotheses. We emphasize training in effective communication, both oral and written.

The program is designed both for students interested in academic careers in teaching and research and for those interested in careers in related aspects of medicine and industry.

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) is one of eight interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).