About the Department

Microbiology, broadly defined as the study of organisms invisible to the naked eye, is at the forefront of modern biology. Our students study microbiology in all its forms: from understanding how the billions of cells in our microbiomes keep us healthy; the role bacteria and phages play in the global carbon cycle and climate change; how genes and their expression are regulated at the molecular level; and where antibiotic resistance comes from and how to fight it, to how pathogenic parasites, fungi, viruses and bacteria cause disease and how they can be fought. Microbiology is a modern science studied in the lab and in silico at Ohio State, where we harness big-data analytics and cutting-edge experimental approaches.  

The Department of Microbiology at Ohio State offers one of the leading microbiology degree programs in the U.S. and is one of the top 50 microbiology research units in the world. Our department boasts winners of Ohio State’s most prestigious awards in teaching and research, two endowed chairs, an Ohio Eminent Scholar and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as co-hosts a Graduate Training Program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to a learning and research environment that integrates classroom, online and lab studies, Ohio State microbiologists conduct their studies in real-world settings ranging from rural Ohio to the Arctic Circle to sub-Saharan Africa. This highly diverse approach to microbiology gives our students the kind of skills they can apply to a range of situations by providing them a broad and integrative knowledge of different fields. Microbiology at Ohio State epitomizes a modern interdisciplinary STEM field in every sense.

We invite you to contact us with questions or for more information! We look forward to hearing from you.

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