GGM Research Focus
The Graduate Group in Microbiology consists of Plant & Microbial Biology faculty as well as faculty from across campus and at our affiliates, including Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. Below is the research focus of the scientists in the Graduate Group.
| Scientist | Website | Emphasis |
| Rodrigo Almeida | nature.berkeley.edu/almeidalab | Ecology of insect-associated microbes (disease ecology and insect symbiosis) Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Policy and Management |
| Lisa Alvarez-Cohen | Application of biological processes for the elimination of environmental contaminants | |
Adam Arkin | genomics.lbl.gov | Uncover the evolutionary design principles of cellular networks and populations and to exploit them for applications |
| Jillian Banfield | geomicrobiology.berkeley.edu | Microorganism and mineral interactions; geochemical cycling, bioremediation, human microbiome |
| Rachel Brem | buckinstitute.org/bremMembers | Fungi as a model system for the study of genetic variation and evolution |
Steven E. Brenner | compbio.berkeley.edu | Computational Biology, Genomics, Protein Function Prediction |
| Tom Bruns | nature.berkeley.edu/brunslab | Fungal Ecology and Systematics |
| Jamie Cate | lanai.qb3.berkeley.edu/CateLab | Biochemical and biophysical research in protein synthesis, translational control and enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose |
| Michelle Chang | cchem.berkeley.edu/mccgrp | Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, and Synthetic Biology—Designing new biosynthetic pathways for in vivo cellular production of biofuels and pharmaceuticals |
| John D. Coates | coateslab.berkeley.edu | Bioremediation |
| Devin Coleman-Derr | pgec.berkeley.edu/dcoleman-derr | Abiotic stress response and plant growth promoting microbial communities |
| Laurent Coscoy | mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/all/coscoyl | The molecular mechanisms of immune evasion employed by KSHV (human herpesvirus 8) |
| John Dueber | dueberlab.berkeley.edu | Developing strategies for introducing designable, modular control over living cells; particularly interested in biofuel applications |
| Mary Firestone | ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/mary-firestone | Microbial community ecology in terrestrial systems |
| Suzanne Fleiszig | vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/suzanne-mj-fleiszig | Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis: host-pathogen interactions determining health versus disease |
| N. Louise Glass | glasslab.berkeley.edu | Biofuels, Fungi |
| Britt A. Glaunsinger | glaunsingerlab.berkeley.edu | Virus-Host Interactions, RNA-Based Regulation |
| Igor Grigoriev | genome.jgi.doe.gov/programs/fungi | Fungal Genomics |
| Eva Harris | sph.berkeley.edu/eva-harris | Molecular virology, pathogenesis, immunology, epidemiology, and control of dengue |
| James Hurley | membrane.berkeley.edu | Relationship and interactions between proteins and membranes |
Jay Keasling | chemistry.berkeley.edu/faculty/cbe/keasling | Microorganism metabolic engineering for environmentally friendly product synthesis or contaminant biodegradation |
Nicole King | kinglab.berkeley.edu | Molecular and comparative genomic approaches to reconstruct the origin and evolution of animals |
| Arash Komeili | www.komeililab.org | Magnetosomes |
| Jennifer D. Lewis | lewislab.berkeley.edu | Plant Disease and Immunity |
| Han Lim | ib.berkeley.edu/labs/lim/index.html | Gene networks and molecular mechanisms that generate phenotypic diversity; bacterial differentiation, evolution and pathogenesis |
| Steven E. Lindow | icelab.berkeley.edu | Ecology of Plant-Associated Microorganisms |
| Fenyong Liu | sph.berkeley.edu/fenyong-liu | Biology of, and therapeutic intervention for human herpes viruses |
Sangwei Lu | sph.berkeley.edu/sangwei-lu | Pathogenesis and stress response of Salmonella serovars; foodborne diseases |
| Krishna K. Niyogi | niyogilab.berkeley.edu | Regulation of Photosynthesis |
| Celine Pallud | celinepallud.com | Soil biogeochemistry & biogeophysics, environmental fate of contaminants |
| Daniel Portnoy | mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/all/portnoyd | Microbial Disease, Defending Against Infection |
| Lee Riley | sph.berkeley.edu/lee-riley | Epidemiology with molecular biology to characterize pathogenesis of infectious agents e.g. tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases |
Jasper Rine | mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/rine | Molecular genetics, functional genomics and cell biology of yeast, with an emphasis on epigenetics |
| Kathleen Ryan | kathleenryanlab.berkeley.edu | Bacterial Cell Cycle, Regulatory Pathways |
| David Savage | savagelab.org | Synthetic biology, protein engineering and microbial physiology |
| Randy Schekman | mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/schekman | The process of membrane assembly, vesicular transport, and membrane fusion among organelles of the secretory pathway |
| Kimberley Seed | pmb.berkeley.edu/profile/kim-seed |
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| Michael Shapira | ib.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/shapiram | Host-microbiota-pathogen interactions, aging |
| Kimmen Sjölander | phylogenomics.berkeley.edu | Computational Biology, Bioinformatics |
Chris R. Somerville | vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/chris-somerville | University - Industry Collaborations |
Shauna Somerville | shaunasomervillelab.berkeley.edu | Plant-pathogen interactions; mechanisms of host defense; cell wall integrity sensing |
| Chelsea D. Specht | spechtlab.berkeley.edu | Plant Evolution, Evolutionary Developmental Genetics |
| Sarah Stanley | sph.berkeley.edu/sarah-stanley | Molecular mechanisms of M. tuberculosis virulence and pathogenesis in macrophages |
Brian Staskawicz | staskawiczlab.berkeley.edu | Plant Immunity |
Richard Stephens | sph.berkeley.edu/richard-stephens | Pathogenic mechanisms of intracellular agents that cause infectious disease |
Michi Taga | tagalab.berkeley.edu | Microbial Interactions, Cofactor Synthesis |
John W. Taylor | taylorlab.berkeley.edu | Fungal evolution and genomics |
Matt F. Traxler | traxlerlab.berkeley.edu | Bacterial interspecies interactions and specialized metabolism |
Russell Vance | mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/IMM/vancer.html | Innate immune sensing of intracellular bacterial pathogens |
Matt Welch | mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/welch | Host-pathogen interactions, esp. how pathogens exploit the host cytoskeleton for growth and spread during infection |
Mary C. Wildermuth | nature.berkeley.edu/wildermuthlab | Plant-Microbe Interactions |
Patricia C. Zambryski | vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/patricia-zambryski | Type IV secretion in bacteria and cell-to-cell transport in plants |
Wenjun Zhang | cchem.berkeley.edu/wzgrp | Natural product biosynthesis and engineering for health and bioenergy applications |