Message from the Chair

Welcome to UCI's Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics!

Our department takes pride in being ranked among the top microbiology departments in the country. We are proud of our internationally recognized faculty members whose well-funded research spans various fields, including bacterial development, bacterial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, virology and viral pathogenesis, immunology, cell biology, gene regulation, epigenetics in diseases, stem cell biology, RNA biology, cancer biology and computational biology. This diverse scientific expertise allows us to engage in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research and enrich our teaching through partnerships with other institutes, centers, and departments at UC Irvine.

Over the years, our department has experienced steady growth, both in the number of faculty members and the scope of research programs. We currently have 16 full-time faculty members and seven joint appointees, all dedicated to pushing the boundaries of knowledge.

At present, our research projects focus on finding treatments and cures for a wide range of conditions, including epilepsy, drug addiction, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Lyme disease, Dengue Fever, malaria, spotted fever, typhus, immune disorders, viral latency and reactivation, kidney tumor syndrome, colon cancer, HIV, bacterial foodborne illnesses, Chlamydial infections causing blindness or cervical cancer, and more.

We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our department and the groundbreaking work we are doing to advance scientific understanding and improve human health.

Klemens Hertel, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics