The Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology offers a variety of graduate degree programs. For the highly qualified student, a Ph.D. program in Microbiology is available. Also available is a thesis program leading to the M.S. as well as a non-thesis option, the Master of Professional Studies, designed for professionals who wish to upgrade their knowledge or skills.

Prerequisites for admission include a bachelor’s degree in microbiology or other biological science with undergraduate work in organic chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, and physics.

Curricula are planned to suit the interests and needs of the individual student and to provide a strong background in microbiology and molecular biology.

Teaching and research assistantships are available in various fields of microbiology.

The Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology is housed in a new addition to Hitchner Hall which is well equipped to do modern research in bacteriology, animal virology, molecular biology, and immunology. Equipment available for research includes preparative and analytical ultracentrifuges, liquid scintillation radioisotope counters, high speed refrigerated centrifuges, biohazard chambers, tissue culture facilities, density gradient equipment, electrophoresis equipment, a gas chromatograph, fermentors, phase and fluorescent microscopes, and transmission and scanning electron microscopes. Excellent facilities are available for holding and breeding small animals including both fresh and salt water fishes.

The microbiology program offers diversified training at the graduate level through interdisciplinary and interdepartmental course offerings and research opportunities in cooperation with the Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Marine Sciences. Our proximity to the Jackson Laboratory, Mount Desert Biological Laboratory, Bowdoin College, Togus VA Hospital, and the Eastern Maine Medical Center provides additional opportunities for specialized graduate study.

Graduate Faculty

Robert E. Gundersen, Ph.D. (University of Texas-Austin, 1983), Associate Professor and Chair. The role of signal transduction during growth and development in eukaryotes.

W. Murray Bain, Ph.D. (Indiana University, 1959, Professor Emeritus of Microbiology.

Charles E. Buck, Ph.D. (Ohio State University, 1951), Professor Emeritus of Microbiology.

August J. De Siervo, Ph.D. (Rutgers, 1968), Associate Professor Emeritus. Chemistry and metabolism of cellular lipids.

Jody Jellison, Ph.D. (Oregon State, 1983). Cooperating Professor. Metal metabolism on fungi.

Carol H. Kim, Ph.D. (Cornell, 1992), Associate Professor. Viral pathogens and vaccine development in a zebrafish model system.

Charles E. Moody, Ph.D. (Rhode Island, 1976), Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator. Developmental and comparative immunology.

Bruce L. Nicholson, Ph.D. (Maryland, 1969), Professor Emeritus of Microbiology.

John T. Singer, Ph.D. (Georgia, 1983), Professor. Molecular genetics and microbial physiology.

Stylianos M. Tavantzis, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1980), Cooperating Professor. Plant virology.

Rebecca J. Van Beneden, Ph.D. (The Johns Hopkins University, 1983), Professor. Molecular oncology and aquatic toxicology; the role of cellular oncogenes and tumor suppression genes in response to environmental toxicants; regulation of gene expression; molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis in non-mammalian models.

Robert T. Wheeler, PhD (Stanford, 2000), Assistant Professor. Genetics, genomics, biochemistry and cell biology of fungal pathogens with mammalian hosts.

Vivian C. Wu, Ph.D. (Kansas State, 2002), Cooperating Assistant Professor.  Food microbiology, development of rapid methods and automation.