A Research Powerhouse 

Faculty in the Department of Molecular Biosciences include leading world experts in COVID-19, cell and developmental biology, biotherapeutics technologies and systems and synthetic biology. Our alumni include Nobel Prize winners in Physiology and Medicine. As the largest department in the College of Natural Sciences, our department members bring expertise and interests in a wide range of areas, across molecular, microbial, cellular, developmental, chemical, plant, structural and systems biology. Offering novel and innovative solutions to longstanding biological problems, our faculty bring unique perspectives to their research and their students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

We are closely associated with a number of interdisciplinary institutes, centers, and facilities at The University of Texas at Austin. These include:

• The Sauer Lab for Structural Biology, a world-class cryo-EM facility;
  
  
• The LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease, with world experts in research to address a wide range of viral and bacterial pathogens; and
  
  
• The Center for Biomedical Research Support, which provides access to cutting-edge research technology in genomics, spectrometry and more.

These intellectual and technological drivers further provide bridges between the faculty and broader clinical and commercial communities, enhance the productivity of the faculty and enliven our educational and outreach efforts.

Our faculty work in diverse areas, including:

• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Structural Biology and Biophysics
• Plant Biology
• Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Disease
• Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Systems and Synthetic Biology
• Biochemistry

Detailed descriptions of individual research programs can be found on the faculty and research areas pages.

Molecular biosciences also has responsibility for undergraduate teaching in several majors, including Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, and Medical Laboratory Science.

At the graduate level, faculty participate in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Plant Biology Graduate Programs.