A Vibrant Community

Our department consists of a vibrant community of faculty, researchers and students. We offer an unparalleled opportunity to perform research in microbiology, immunology, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology with some of the world's leading scientists.

Recent News, Awards and Publications

Learn more about our department's recent publications, new faculty members, faculty promotions, awards won by our students, postdocs and faculty and other recent news of interest.

Breakthrough Research

Our faculty have made significant contributions to the fields of immunology and microbiology by studying bacteria, parasites, viruses, yeast and the immune response in mice and humans. The faculty publish their research in leading journals and present their work at prominent conferences and educational institutions.

Wednesday, Friday and Special Seminars

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology holds regularly scheduled seminars, special seminar and less formal data clubs. A departmental Wednesday Seminar given by an outside speaker is held on Wednesdays at noon in Room 301 of the Hammer Health Sciences Center. A Friday Research in Progress seminar at which students and postdoctoral fellows present their work is held on Fridays at 3:30 p.m. in Room 301 of HHSC, followed by an informal happy hour sponsored by the department. In addition, the department hosts less formal data and journal clubs and special seminars and named lectures, such as the Richard C. Parker Memorial Lecture.

A Distinguished Graduate Program

The doctoral program in Microbiology, Immunology and Infection is based in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and is one of the specialized research and training areas within the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies of the Coordinated Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University Medical Center. Our doctoral program offers students an educational environment unique in both academic and course offerings as well as campus life and research opportunities. A weekly seminar series also offers students the opportunity to meet distinguished researchers from across the globe.

Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology offers students and postdoctoral fellows many opportunities to enhance their training beyond their experience in the mentor's laboratory. They have the opportunity to participate in any of the graduate courses offered by the basic science departments and are routinely invited to speak in all of our seminar programs. Our program offers a superb biomedical research environment, which also attracts M.D.s who train in basic research while maintaining a direct link to clinical medicine. Additional resources for postdoctoral fellows can be found at the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

State of the Art Facilities

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology is housed on newly renovated floors of the Hammer Health Science Building at Columbia University Medical Center and features state of the art equipment, including three internal core facilities that are available for use by the medical center community: Flow Cytometry Core, Microscopy Core and Computational Core. In addition, the laboratories of individual faculty at the Department of Microbiology & Immunology are home to a number of pieces of major equipment that are shared and available for department members to use. The building also houses one of the largest academic health sciences libraries in the country.