Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry

Learn, practice, and teach research that helps us understand and cure diseases in plants, animals, and humans and treat toxic waste. Design  and carry out scientific experiments. Carefully document and present findings.

Since 2000, our department has received $60 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to study infectious diseases.

Choose a program:

Master’s: Coursework and research generally takes two years. Work as a research assistant, and teach for at least one semester. Write a thesis. Publish a paper on your findings in an academic journal.

Ph.D.: Coursework and research generally takes four years. Pass preliminary and qualifying exams. Work as a professor’s research assistant, and teach for at least one year. Write a dissertation. A Ph.D. student identifies a problem and demonstrates how his or her research addresses the problem. Publish two articles on your findings.

Conduct a research project with the guidance of an advisor and graduate committee comprised of professors with valuable expertise. Present your findings in a lecture to your professors and peers. Demonstrate your expertise in a question and answer session.

Thesis: Develop a research goal based on work being done in your primary lab. Carry out scientific data collection with guidance from professors, and carefully document your results. Publish an article of your experiments and findings in an academic periodical. A thesis is excellent preparation for a Ph.D.

Dissertation: Write a proposal for a study that will seek to provide an answer to a significant question. Carry out scientific data collection and carefully document your results. Achieve significant independence in your research. Publish two articles of your experiments and findings in an academic periodical.

Research Assistant: All graduate students are assigned a primary laboratory to conduct grant-funded research. Experience three one-month rotations in different labs to determine the best fit. Positions are paid.

Teaching Assistant: In addition to research assistance, all graduate students are required to provide teaching assistance. Master’s students teach for at least one semester. Ph.D. students teach for at least one year.

Prepare for Success

Candidates for this program should have:

• An undergraduate degree in a life or physical science
• An interest in lab work and data collection
• A desire to solve problems and think critically about some of society’s most pressing problems

Your First Year

Your first year, you should expect to:

• Complete three one-month lab rotations
• Select the primary lab in which you will conduct your research
• Select one professor from the department who will act as your advisor and serve on your graduate committee
• Choose at least two other professors (one can be from outside the department) who will serve on your graduate committee
• Work with your committee to plan the specifics of your coursework and research goals
• Select an independent research topic

What You Can Do

Your research interests may lead you to become one of the following:

Pharmaceutical scientist: Design and synthesize new drugs and delivery systems. Collect data on patients in clinical trials, monitor their reactions, and analyze the results.

Virologist: Shed light on biological viruses and virus-like agents, including their structure, their classification and evolution, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their potential uses in research and therapy.

Industrial scientist: Develop cleaner production processes that create less waste and use less energy and water in the production of detergents, pulp and paper, textiles, food, energy, and metals.

Agricultural scientist: Modify and improve crops such as rice, soybeans, and wheat to improve our food supply and reduce our dependence on conventional pesticides.

Opportunities

Work for biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies or for the food and agricultural industry. Conduct research in university or government laboratories.

Graduates with a Ph.D. may design and manage significant research projects, or operate their own labs. Graduates with a master’s degree generally assist in significant research projects, and manage portions of the research. Salaries start as high as 70,000.

Current Research

Research topics include examining different aspects of diseases to better understand solutions. For example:

• Investigate how viruses like the common cold fool the immune system
• Observe what happens in cell function when a carrier has a genetic condition such as polycystic kidney disease
• Study how manipulating human cells changes immune responses
• Investigate how bacteria can be used to produce medicine
• Explore how microbes clean toxic waste

Activities

Attend national and regional meetings of professional organizations. Present your research findings. Meet potential employers and graduate students from other universities.

Graduate and Professional Student Association: Gain leadership experience and represent your department in UI student government.

MMBB Club: Teach lab techniques to school children, learn about internships, and meet experts in the field. Take trips to biotech companies, laboratories, breweries, wineries, research centers, and hot springs.

UI Environmental Club: See what you and others can do to live more sustainably.

Annual Student Research Expo: Compete for cash prizes awarded for graduate research presentations.

College of Graduate Studies Awards: Share in the annual recognition of graduate students engaged in outstanding teaching, research, leadership, and mentoring.

Hands-On Experience

Gain hands-on experiences like these:

Teaching Assistant: Work directly with students. Teach fundamental laboratory skills such as how to purify a protein, determine the structure of a lipid, or grow a culture of cells. Explain and demonstrate key cellular processes such as DNA replication, protein secretion, energy metabolism, and immune responses. Grade papers and exams. Positions are paid.

Research Assistant: Help professors with grant-funded research. For example, collect data on the ability of virus-infected cells to repair DNA, the relationship between protein flexibility and biological function, or how the genetic makeup of crops influences nutritional value. Positions are paid.

International collaboration: Travel to use special equipment or understand an issue from a new perspective. For example, use a unique high-powered microscope in Vancouver, Canada to observe the movement of fluorescent proteins or exchange information with scientists in a country like Sweden.

Volunteer: Give back and gain new experiences. Assist hospital medical staff as they care for patients. Treat sick pets at a veterinary clinic. Work at a clinic in a developing country.