Molecular and Cell Biology

The study of molecular and cell biology in the School of Biological Sciences includes the following topics:

  • Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell biology, including cell signaling, cell differentiation, cancer biology, receptor trafficking, and bacterial pathogenesis
  • Molecular physiology, including human pathophysiology, and the regulation and function of membrane proteins
  • Molecular biophysics and structural biology, including the structures and functions of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids
  • Molecular genetics in animal, plant, and microbial systems, including control of gene expression, genome stability, genomics, genetic control of protein folding, and epigenetic phenomena such as prions
  • Molecular evolution, including molecular population genetics, comparative and functional evolutionary genomics

Most faculty in this area of research are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, and some are supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. Many faculty members serve on advisory boards for biomedical research agencies and the most respected journals in their fields.

Faculty in this focus area