Welcome

The Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology - MGCB - was created in 1984 through the merger of the faculties of the Departments of Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Theoretical Biology, and Microbiology. MGCB operates within the Division of Biological Sciences. Its faculty investigate molecular aspects of biological phenomena that operate on a cellular scale. The Department covers vital extensions of cell biology and genetics into related fields of biology, notably immunology, plant biology, development and microbiology. The Department currently represents research on a wide range of biological problems and systems - its internationally recognized strengths include:

1. invertebrate and vertebrate development
2. plant molecular biology
3. cellular structure and function
4. yeast genetics.

For graduate training, MGCB participates in the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Training Program Cluster together with the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, and the Committees on Genetics and Developmental Biology. MGCB also plays key roles in the undergraduate biology curricula at the University.

The honors accorded to members of the faculty of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology attest to the quality of their scholarship and research. Among the faculty are seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, one Fellow of the Royal Society, two members of the National Institute of Medicine, and nine Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Many of the faculty have been selected for advisory or editorial positions by national and international scientific organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, The American Cancer Society, and The Leukemia Research Foundation.

MGCB News

Rick Fehon was appointed as MGCB Chair effective July 1st, 2007.

New Faculty Handbook (pdf; 832 KB)