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 woman stands in front of a bookshelf washed in purple light.

News

In search for alien life, purple may be the new green

Purple bacteria is one of the primary contenders for life that could dominate a variety of Earth-like planets orbiting different stars, and would produce a distinctive "light fingerprint," Cornell scientists report.

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

News

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