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Department of Microbiology


College of Natural Resources and the Environment
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts



Detailed Information

Programs of Study


The Department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst offers programs of graduate study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology. Postdoctoral training is also available. Courses covering various areas in the field of microbiology are offered by the Departmental faculty members, listed in the Faculty and Their Research section.

In the Ph.D. program, formal course work is generally completed during the first two years. After the first year, an increasing proportion of time is dedicated to research. Students select dissertation problems from a wide spectrum of research areas pursued by the faculty. The following research fields are represented: bioinformatics, physiology, genetics, immunology, parasitology, pathogenic bacteriology, molecular biology, microbial ecology, and environmental microbiology. In addition, close ties are maintained with the Departments of Biochemistry, Biology, and Chemistry through the interdepartmental program for doctoral training in molecular and cellular biology. In the second year, Ph.D. candidates must pass a comprehensive preliminary examination. Degree requirements are completed by submission and defense of a dissertation. There is no foreign language requirement. Completion of the Ph.D. program generally takes four years beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Research Facilities


The Department of Microbiology occupies space in the Morrill Science Center. Air-conditioned laboratories are spacious and well equipped for research and teaching. The modern apparatus necessary for investigation into all aspects of microbiology is available within Departmental space. The Department’s facilities include tissue- and cell-culture laboratories, animal quarters, and various instrument rooms containing preparative and analytical ultracentrifuges, scintillation counters, fermentors, anaerobic chambers, equipment for DNA sequence analysis and chromatographic and electrophoretic procedures, photography, and other standard laboratory procedures. Centralized facilities provide state-of-the-art equipment and expertise to support research projects, such as the Central Microscopy Facility; Phosphorimager, Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility; High Field NMR Facility; and Mass Spectrometry Facility.

Financial Aid


Financial aid is available in the form of University fellowships and teaching assistantships. Research assistantships are available for advanced graduate students. All assistantships include a waiver of tuition.

Cost of Study


For the academic year 2008–09, annual tuition for in-state residents was $110 per credit; nonresident tuition was $414 per credit. Full-time students register for at least 9 credits per semester. The mandatory fee assessed for full-time graduate students was $3883 per semester for in-state residents and $5235 for nonresidents. Fees are subject to change.

Living and Housing Costs


Graduate student housing is available in several twelve-month campus residence halls through University Housing Services. The University owns and manages unfurnished apartments of various sizes for family housing on or near the campus. Off-campus housing is available; rents vary widely and depend on factors such as size and location.

Student Group


The Department has approximately 35 graduate and 100 undergraduate students as well as 35 postdoctoral fellows. Enrollment at the Amherst campus is about 24,000, including 6,000 graduate students.

Location


The 1,450-acre campus of the University provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting. Amherst is situated in the picturesque Pioneer Valley in historic western Massachusetts. The area is renowned for its natural beauty. Green open land framed by the outline of the Holyoke Range, clear streams, country roads, forests, grazing cattle, and shade trees are characteristic of the region. A broad spectrum of cultural activities and extensive recreational facilities are available within the University and at four neighboring colleges—Smith, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire. Opportunities for outdoor winter sports are exceptional. Amherst is 90 miles west of Boston and 175 miles north of New York City, and Cape Cod is a 3½-hour drive away.

The University


The University of Massachusetts is the state university of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is the flagship campus of the five-campus UMass system. Departments affiliated with the ten colleges and schools of the University offer a variety of graduate degrees through the Graduate School. The Amherst campus consists of approximately 150 buildings, including the twenty-eight-story W. E. B. DuBois Library, which is the largest at a state-supported institution in New England. The library features more than 5.8 million items and is home to a state-of-the-art learning commons equipped with PC and Mac workstations and laptop network access.

Applying


Application forms may be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office, 530 Goodell Building, University of Massachusetts, 140 Hicks Way, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9333, or online at http://www.umass.edu/gradschool. Prospective students are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations. Applications for admission should be received by the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1 for September enrollment and by October 1 for January enrollment. Applications received after these dates are considered only if space is available.

The Faculty and Their Research


  • J. M. Lopes, Professor and Department Head; Ph.D., South Carolina. Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Mol. Microbiol. 70:1529, 2008. Eukaryot. Cell 6:786, 2007. Genetics 173:621, 2006.
  • C. L. Baldwin, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Cornell. Cellular immunity to intracellular microbial parasites, including Brucella abortus, with particular interest in the interaction of the microbe with macrophages and the control of infection by T-cell cytokines; stimulation and control of gamma/delta T-cell responses. Mol. Immunol. 44:2033–45, 2007. Eur. J. Immunol. 37:1204–16, 2007. Immunogenetics 58:746–57, 2006. Crit. Rev. Immunol. 26:407–42, 2006. Microbes Infect. 9:55–62, 2006.
  • J. Blanchard, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Georgia. Biofuels; modeling cellular processes using genomic data; evolution of cellular networks. Mol. Biol. Evol. 26:5–13, 2009. PLoS ONE 11:e1186, 2007.
  • J. P. Burand, Adjunct Associate Professor; Ph.D., Washington State. Biology and molecular biology of insect pathogenic viruses, particularly baculoviruses and nonoccluded insect viruses and bee viruses, with emphasis on virus-host interactions that affect the virulence and persistence of these viruses in insects. Virol. Sin. 22:128–136, 2007. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 99:967, 2006. J. Insect Sci. 5:6, 2005. Virol. J. 1:15, 2004. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 85:128–31, 2004.
  • D. R. Cooley, Adjunct Associate Professor; Ph.D., Massachusetts. Ecology of diseases; plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria; plant disease management; integrated pest management; development of sustainable agricultural systems.
  • S. Goodwin, Dean, College of Natural Resources and the Environment; Ph.D., Wisconsin.
  • R. Guerrero, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Barcelona. Microbial ecology, particularly microbial mats and early ecosystems; polyhydroxyalkanoates; anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. Int. Microbiol. 10:133, 2007. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103:13080, 2006.
  • J. F. Holden, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Physiology of hyperthermophilic archaea; geomicrobiology of geothermal environments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:242–5, 2009. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74:396–402, 2008. Extremophiles 11:741–6, 2007.
  • M. M. Klingbeil, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Toledo. Molecular and biochemical parasitology, replication and repair of mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast DNA network) in African trypanosomes. Eukaryot. Cell 7:2141–6, 2008. Science 309:409–15, 2005. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101:4333–4, 2004. J. Biol. Chem. 278:49095–101, 2003. Mol. Cell 10:175–86, 2002. Protist 152:255–62, 2001.
  • S. B. Leschine, Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh. Microbial physiology and ecology; cellulose decomposition; biofilms on natural polymers; fuels from biomass. Biofuels Technology 1:37–44, 2008 (with Gorham et al.). Biofilms, 2008: doi:10.1017/S1479050508002238 (with Alonso and Pomposiello). In Handbook on Clostridia, pp. 101–31, ed. P. Durre, CRC Press, 2005. Arch. Microbiol. 180:434–43, 2003 (with Reguera). Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 52:1155–60, 2002 (with Warnick).
  • D. R. Lovley, Distinguished University Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State. Genome-enabled study of the physiology, ecology, and evolution of novel anaerobic microorganisms; environmental genomics; bioremediation of metal and organic contamination; microbial fuel cells; in silico cell modeling; life in extreme environments. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 4:497–508, 2006. Nature 435:1098–101, 2005. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 1:35–44, 2003. Science 301:934, 2003. Nature 416:767–9, 2002. Science 295:483–5, 2002. Nature 415:312–6, 2002.
  • W. J. Manning, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Delaware. Effects of ozone on plants and associated mycoflora; plants as bioindicators of ozone; effects of ozone and other air pollutants on plants in urban environments; managing invasive plants with fungal pathogens. Environ. Pollut. 126:73–81, 2003.
  • L. Margulis, Adjunct Professor and Distinguished University Professor. Evolution of microbes; symbiogenesis and the origin of the nucleus; evolution of cells. Handbook of Prototists, Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, in press. Kingdoms and Domains: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth, Academic Press, 2009. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103:13080–5, 2006. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 31:175–91, 2005. Acquiring Genomes: A Theory of the Origins of Species, 240 pp., New York: Basic Books, 2002. Symbiosis in Cell Evolution: Microbial Communities in the Archean and Proterozoic Eons, 2nd ed., 452 pp., 1993.
  • L. C. Norkin, Professor; Ph.D., Columbia. Entry, intracellular trafficking, and uncoating of the DNA tumor virus SV40. J. Virol. 80:6575, 2006. BMC Virol. J. 2:38, 2005. BMC Infect. Dis. 4:23, 2004. Exp. Cell Res. 287:67–78, 2003. J. Virol. 76:5156–66, 2002. Exp. Cell Res. 226:229–308, 2001. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 49:301, 2001. Exp. Cell Res. 246:83–90, 1999. Immunol. Rev. 168:1322, 1999. J. Gen. Virol. 79:1469–77, 1998. Mol. Biol. Cell 7:1825–34, 1996.
  • K. Nüsslein, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State. Microbial ecology of terrestrial and aquatic environments; relating the stress of environmental influences to community structure and function, with emphasis on understanding interactions among bacterial communities. Microbiology 152:1913–8, 2006. Microb. Ecol. 51:441–52, 2006. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 42:172–8. 2006. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:2484–92, 2005. J. Ind. Microb. Biotechnol. 54:233–42, 2005.
  • S. T. Petsch, Adjunct Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Yale. Transport, transformation, and biodegradation of natural organic matter in sediments, soils, and sedimentary rocks. Geology, in press. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:4171–9, 2007. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71:4233–50, 2007. SEPM 5:5–9, 2007. Am. J. Sci. 306:575–615, 2006. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 219:157–70, 2005. Gas Technol. Inst. GRI-05/0023, 2004. Am. J. Sci. 304:234–49, 2004. Org. Geochem. 34:731–43, 2003.
  • M. A. Riley, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Harvard. Microbial ecology and evolution and experimental evolution. J. Evol. Biol. 16:1236–8, 2004. Nature 428:412–4, 2004. Nature 418:171–4, 2002.
  • S. J. Sandler, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley. Molecular genetics of recombination; DNA replication and DNA repair in bacteria. Mol. Microbiol. 57:1074, 2005. Mol. Microbiol. 53:1343, 2004.
  • P. D. Schloss, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Cornell. Commensal microbial ecology; genomics of uncultured microorganisms; bioinformatics. ISME J. 2:265–75, 2008. BMC Bioinformatics 9:34, 2008. PLoS Comp. Biol. 2:e92, 2006. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:2379, 2006. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:6355, 2005.
  • E. Stuart, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Illinois. Infection, immunity, and pathogenesis, with special interest in processes used by chlamydial species for entry into host cells and replication, prevalence of blood cell–borne Chlamydia, and susceptibility of blood cells to infection by Chlamydia; vaccine components for use with Chlamydia; generation, display, and utility of recombinant vaccine components targeting viral or bacterial peptides. BMC Microbiol. 8:213, 2008. Tocotrienols: Vitamin E beyond Tocopherols, ch. 25 “Tocotrienol in the potential treatment of infectious disease,” CRC Press, 2008;. BMC Biotechnol. 8:9, 2008. J. Clin. Apheresis 21(3):195–201, 2006. BMC Infect. Dis. 6:23, 2006. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 171(10):1083–8, 2005. BMC Infect. Dis. 4(1):23, 2004. Curr. Microbiol. 49(1):13–21, 2004. J. Biotechnol. 114:225–37, 2004. Exp. Cell Res. 287(1):67–7, 2003. J. Biotechnol. 88(2):119–28, 2001.
  • W. Webley, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Massachusetts. Immunology and pathogenic bacteriology; elucidating the role of Chlamydia in the initiation of neonatal asthma; evaluation of chlamydial survival and host range; development of novel antigen display and vaccine delivery systems for Chlamydia and other pathogenic bacteria of interest to community health; elucidating the role of Chlamydia thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Eur. Respir. J., 33:1–8, 2009. Biology of AIDS, 2nd ed., Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2008. CHEST 134(suppl.), 2008. CHEST 132(4):607, 2007. Biology of AIDS, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2007. J. Clin. Apheresis 3, 2006. BMC Infect. Dis. 6:23, 2006. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 171(10):1083–8, 2005. BMC Infect. Dis. 4(1):23, 2004 (with Stuart and Norkin). Curr. Microbiol. 49(1):13–21, 2004. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 169(7):A586, 2004. J. Clin. Apheresis 18(2), 2003. Exp. Cell Res. 287(1):67–78, 2003.
  • R. M. Weis, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Signal transduction in chemotaxis system and chemotaxis-like pathways. BMC Genom. 9:471, 2008. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:12289–94, 2008. Methods Enzymol. 423:267–98, 2007. J. Biol. Chem. 281:30512–23, 2006.

Correspondence and Information


University of Massachusetts
Graduate Program Director
Department of Microbiology
Morrill IV, N203
639 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9298
Telephone: 413-545-2051
Fax: 413-545-1578
Email: microbio-dept@microbio.umass.edu