Microbiology

Microbiological research in the Biology Department encompasses all three domains of life: Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, and Archaea. Using a combination of genetics and biochemical analyses, our faculty members, students, and staff investigate microbial pathogenesis as well as cell maintenance functions of microbes. Dr. Gregory Anderson studies the molecular basis of bacterial biofilm formation and chronic lung infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pathogenic bacteria. Using various yeast species (Saccharomyces and Candida), Dr Martin Bard’s laboratory examines the synthesis, regulation, and various roles of ergosterol, a membrane sterol required for cell viability. Also using yeast as a model organism, Dr. Anna Malkova investigates the molecular mechanisms and genetic control of double-strand DNA break repair. Dr. Andrew Kusmeirczyk studies protein quality control and assembly of multi-protein complexes using yeast and archaeal systems. The research performed in these laboratories is uncovering the basic biology of some of the most fundamental organisms on Earth.