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Faculty & Research

There are more than 45 participating faculty in the MIT Microbiology graduate program, from several different science and engineering departments and divisions.

Becoming a Member

The Microbiology graduate program welcomes all faculty who self-identify as working with microbes and microbial processes. For more information, please contact microbiology@mit.edu

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  • Yiyin Erin Chen

    Assistant Professor of Biology; Core Member, Broad Institute
    Chen Lab
    erinchen@yeclab.org
    (617) 714-7072
    Short Bio
    Diverse commensal microbes colonize every surface of our bodies. We study the constant communication between these microbes and our immune system. We focus on our largest organ: the skin. By employing microbial genetics, immunologic approaches, and mouse models, we can dissect (1) the molecular signals used by microbes to educate our immune system and (2) how different microbial communities alter immune responses. Ultimately, we aim to harness these microbe-host interactions to engineer novel vaccines and therapeutics for human disease.

  • Jianzhu Chen

    Ivan R. Cottrell Professor of Immunology, Singapore Research Professor
    Chen Lab
    jchen@mit.edu
    617-258-6173
    Short Bio

    Our research seeks to fundamentally understand how immune cells respond to pathogens and cancer, and how their dysfunction contributes to diseases. Our long-term goal is to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and use this understanding to develop better treatments for cancer and metabolic diseases and better vaccines for infection.

  • James Collins

    Termeer Professor of Bioengineering
    Collins Lab
    jimjc@mit.edu
    Short Bio

    We are employing engineering principles to model, design and build synthetic gene circuits and programmable cells, in order to create novel classes of diagnostics & therapeutics.  We are also using deep learning approaches to discover new genetic parts and enhance the synthetic biology design process.

    As part of the Antibiotics-AI Project, we are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to discover novel classes of antibiotics and rapidly understand how they work. We are also using deep learning approaches for the de novo design of new antibiotics and the development of combination treatments.

     

  • Otto Cordero

    Associate Professor CEE; Co-Director MIT Microbiology PhD Program
    Cordero Lab
    MIT CEE
    ottox@mit.edu
    617.230.4153
    Short Bio

    Professor Cordero studies the ecology and evolution of natural microbial collectives. His lab is interested in understanding how social and ecological interactions at micro-scales impact the global productivity, stability and evolutionary dynamics of microbial ecosystems.

  • Joey Davis

    Associate Professor of Biology
    Davis Lab
    MIT Biology
    jhdavis@mit.edu
    617-258-6154
    Short Bio

    Having worked in Bob Sauer’s group as a Ph.D. student, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to return to MIT to start my lab. After graduating, I was the first employee at Ginkgo BioWorks, a local synthetic biology startup company and later was a post-doc in San Diego where I was jointly advised by Jamie Williamson and Malene Hansen. I’m excited to be back in Boston and working on key problems at the intersection of biochemistry, structural biology, and macromolecular complex assembly!

  • Peter Dedon

    Underwood-Prescott Professor of Biological Engineering
    Dedon Lab
    pcdedon@mit.edu
    617-253-8017
    Short Bio

    Research in the Dedon Lab focuses on the chemical biology of nucleic acids in three broad areas: epigenetics, epitranscriptomics, and genetic toxicology.

  • Cathy Drennan

    Professor of Chemistry and Biology; Investigator and Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; MacVicar Faculty Fellow
    Drennan Lab
    MIT Biology
    cdrennan@mit.edu
    617-253-5622
    Short Bio

    The Drennan Research Laboratory seeks to understand how Nature harnesses and re-directs the reactivity of enzyme metallocenters in order to perform challenging reactions. The Drennan Lab Educational Initiatives focus on the development of resources for undergraduate science teaching and for the training of science educators.

  • Bevin Engelward

    Professor of Biological Engineering; Director of the MIT Superfund Research Center
    Engelward Lab
    bevin@mit.edu
    617-258-0260
    Short Bio

    Major goals of the Engelward laboratory are to contribute to our understanding of factors that impact genomic stability through basic research, and through the development and application of novel technologies.

    • Develop mouse models for fluorescent detection of rare genetic changes
    • Reveal the impact of genes, environment, and physiological conditions on genomic stability
    • Create a high-throughput platform for measuring DNA damage in human cells
    • Apply high throughput technology for epidemiology and drug development
    • Explore the interfaces among DNA damage, repair, and infection

  • John Essigmann

    William R. (1956) & Betsy P. Leitch Professor in Residence Professor of Chemistry, Toxicology, and Biological Engineering
    Essigmann Lab
    jessig@mit.edu
    617-253-6227
    Short Bio

    John Essigmann is the William R. (1956) and Betsy P. Leitch Professor in Residence of Chemistry in the MIT Department of Chemistry and Professor of Toxicology and Biological Engineering in the MIT Department of Biological Engineering. He was the Associate Head of the Department of Chemistry until 2012, responsible for graduate and undergraduate education, and from 2012 until 2019 he was the Director of the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences.  John was brought up in Medford, MA, a suburb of Boston and is a lifelong resident of the Boston area.

  • Kevin Esvelt

    Leader, Sculpting Evolution Group; Assistant Professor, Media Lab
    Sculpting Evolution
    esvelt@media.mit.edu
    617-715-2615
    Short Bio

    Kevin M. Esvelt is an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab, where he leads the Sculpting Evolution Group in advancing biotechnology safely.

    He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University for inventing a synthetic microbial ecosystem to rapidly evolve useful biomolecules, and subsequently helped pioneer the development of CRISPR, a powerful new method of genome engineering.

    In 2013, Esvelt was the first to identify the potential for CRISPR “gene drive” systems to alter wild populations of organisms. Recognizing the implications of an advance that could enable individual scientists to alter the shared environment, he and his colleagues chose to break with scientific tradition by revealing their findings and calling for open discussion and safeguards before building the first CRISPR-based gene drive system and demonstrating reversibility in the laboratory.