Department Chair, Michael E. Adams

Welcome to the website for the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology! Our faculty engage in diverse areas of research interests covering the neural basis for behavior; mechanisms of pathogenesis, inflammation, injury, and disease; effect of toxins on cellular homeostasis and development; regulation of gene expression at multiple levels; disease vectors; structural biology and the modeling of biological processes; mechanisms of development and differentiation; the nature and dynamics of chromosomes; and the discovery of drugs to treat disease. Our research has been well-funded through federal agencies, including the NSF and NIH as well as others, and even private foundations, and has been published in top science journals including Nature and Science.

We offer training to graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge methods that cross many fields. Our faculty are engaged in the teaching and training missions across many graduate programs on campus, including Neurosciences; Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology; Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics; Environmental Toxicology; Biomedical Sciences; and Microbiology. We are also associated with various research groups, including the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research and the Stem Cell Center. Many of our faculty teach in courses across the life sciences, from the introductory courses, gateway courses in Genetics, and upper-division courses in Cell Biology and in Neurosciences. Many also have undergraduate students engaged in independent research.

This is an exciting time to be in science. Students interested in research opportunities, both graduate and undergraduate, can reach out directly to faculty conducting work in areas they might wish to pursue.