Our faculty teach a wide portfolio of microbiology courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We also serve as the home department for the Graduate Field of Microbiology (with over 40 affiliated faculty members) and provide a center of expertise for numerous aspects of microbial biology. Research within our department is focused on prokaryotic molecular biology and environmental microbiology.

Latest News

A baby lays on a white rug with a gold blanket on top of it.

News

Babies use their immune system differently but efficiently

Scientists have long believed that a newborn’s immune system was an immature version of an adult’s, but new research shows that newborns’ T cells – white blood cells that protect from disease – outperform those of adults at fighting off numerous...

  • Microbiology
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
Oval bacteria under a microscope.

News

Cornell researchers and colleagues have for the first time described the near-complete genome of a rare bacterium so large it’s visible to the naked eye. The bacteria, which they’ve named Epulopiscium viviparus, lives symbiotically within some...

  • Microbiology
A book opening and pages flaring out.

News

Twenty-five faculty and academic staff from nine Cornell colleges and units are Engaged Faculty Fellows for the 2023-24 academic year, with projects dedicated to advancing community-engaged learning at Cornell and within their respective fields.

  • American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Department of Communication