Specialty Areas
Microbiology
Studies on microorganisms have led to the discovery of the most fundamental processes of biology, including mechanisms of cellular function, genomics, and an understanding of environmental processes. In recent years, several developments have revolutionized microbial biology research and make now an exciting time for microbiology. First, the deciphering of numerous microbial genomes makes comparative genomic analysis possible; for the first time scientists are able to build a virtual organism. Second, infectious diseases still take thousands of lives a day, and the threat of bioterrorism and the emergence of multi-drug resistant super-pathogens could take us back to the pre-antibiotic era. Third, environmental problems are posing great challenges; the potential of bioremediation could go a long way in meeting such challenges. Fourth, the current energy crisis points to the promises held by microbe related research for biomass fermentation and hydrogen-producing microbes.
Revealing the secrets of microorganisms will prove vital in our efforts to meet these challenges. Our microbiology graduate program offers an exciting interdisciplinary environment for graduate training. Specific areas of interest include environmental microbiology, microbial genetics and physiology, functional genomics, and microbial pathogenesis. With vigorous training at Purdue, you will gain skills and experiences essential for careers in microbiology research and teaching in academia or industry.
