The Microbiology Group in the Department of Biology at California State University, Northridge is accepting applications to the Master’s of Science program for Fall 2019. We are a vibrant, collaborative group of researchers that study a variety of microbiological topics of environmental and medical significance. We are committed to fostering diversity in STEM and members of underrepresented groups in microbiology are especially encouraged to apply. The Microbiology Group at CSUN has a long history of graduating outstanding Master’s students, who continue on to top-tier Ph.D. programs, enter the biotechnology workforce, transition to professional medical programs, or become high school or college instructors. Several faculty within the group are currently supported by federal research grants.
You can find more information about our group at:
www.csun.edu/science-mathematics/biology/microbiology
In particular, the following faculty are seeking students for Fall 2019:
- David Bermudes: The Bermudes lab studies therapeutic microorganisms for the treatment of cancer. His group is seeking graduate students with skills and/or interest in chimeric proteins, bacterial chromosome engineering, human cell culture, and cancer cell cytotoxicity assays.
- Gilberto Flores: The Flores lab studies the microbial ecology of the human gut microbiome. His group is seeking graduate students with an interest in understanding microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions in the human gut.
- Rachel Mackelprang: The Mackelprang lab focuses on microbial communities that make a living in extreme environments. Her group is looking for graduate students to study microorganisms that live in permafrost and their importance to exobiology and climate change.
- Sean Murray: The Murray lab studies the bacterial cell cycle and focuses on the cell biology and molecular microbiology of Caulobacter crescentus. Current projects for graduate students involve studies of the bacterial cytoskeleton and cell membrane.
- Cristian Ruiz Rueda: The Ruiz Rueda lab studies antibiotic resistant bacteria. His group is seeking students interested in combining genomic, molecular biology, and biochemical approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms and environmental distribution of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
- Melissa Takahashi: The Takahashi lab uses synthetic biology techniques to investigate RNA regulation and its roles in antibiotic resistance. Her group is recruiting graduate students interested in studying and engineering RNA mechanisms of gene regulation.
- More information about how to apply to the M.S. program is available at: csun.edu/science-mathematics/biology/master-science-biology-program
Applications are due on February 15, 2019. However, prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact potential faculty advisors this Fall, prior to applying, to discuss their research interests.
Image: Malibu Creek Rock Pool, one site sampled in a recent study of antibiotic resistance in Los Angeles-area waterways by CSUN microbiologists. (Flickr: Tony Hoffarth)