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About Us

The mission of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is to support and promote cutting-edge biomolecular research, accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students, thus enhancing classroom teaching and providing the best training possible to our students. Approximately 40 faculty and 10 instructors educate and train 600 undergraduates in three majors (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnology) and over 100 graduate students, supported by annual external funding approaching $12,000,000.

A major strength of the department is its breadth, ranging from biophysical chemistry to microbiology to developmental biology, bringing together faculty with different expertise and viewpoints, and allowing multidisciplinary approaches within one department. In addition to the rich collaborative environment within the department, the BMB faculty and students actively interact with researchers in other departments at Penn State and with the Penn State Medical School in Hershey, PA, further enhancing research opportunities. Particular areas of strength within the department are Mechanistic and Structural Biochemistry; Microbial Biology; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; and Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. Faculty in the department are leaders in the Penn State Centers of Excellence in Metalloenzymes, Gene Regulation, and Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics. Research in one of these areas is show-cased each year in the Penn State Summer Symposium in Molecular Biology, now in its 25th year, bringing together renowned scientists from all over the world. Thus, the large size of the department provides a wide variety of research opportunities, while the presence of focus areas and Centers of Excellence provides a small group atmosphere and close interactions conducive to excellent training.

The department is physically housed primarily in Althouse and Frear laboratories, with faculty also located in the new Life Sciences Building and in the Institute for Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics that occupies Wartik Laboratory. Excellent facilities sponsored by the department and the Huck Insitutes for Life Sciences provide our faculty and students with high-tech instrumentation and resources to support their research and training.

The department is committed to a diverse and stimulating work environment allowing everyone to reach his or her highest potential.


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About Us Faculty Facilities Seminars Publications News and Events Outreach Links	About Us The mission of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is to support and promote cutting-edge biomolecular research, accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students, thus enhancing classroom teaching and providing the best training possible to our students. Approximately 40 faculty and 10 instructors educate and train 600 undergraduates in three majors (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnology) and over 100 graduate students, supported by annual external funding approaching $12,000,000. A major strength of the department is its breadth, ranging from biophysical chemistry to microbiology to developmental biology, bringing together faculty with different expertise and viewpoints, and allowing multidisciplinary approaches within one department. In addition to the rich collaborative environment within the department, the BMB faculty and students actively interact with researchers in other departments at Penn State and with the Penn State Medical School in Hershey, PA, further enhancing research opportunities. Particular areas of strength within the department are Mechanistic and Structural Biochemistry; Microbial Biology; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; and Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. Faculty in the department are leaders in the Penn State Centers of Excellence in Metalloenzymes, Gene Regulation, and Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics. Research in one of these areas is show-cased each year in the Penn State Summer Symposium in Molecular Biology, now in its 25th year, bringing together renowned scientists from all over the world. Thus, the large size of the department provides a wide variety of research opportunities, while the presence of focus areas and Centers of Excellence provides a small group atmosphere and close interactions conducive to excellent training. The department is physically housed primarily in Althouse and Frear laboratories, with faculty also located in the new Life Sciences Building and in the Institute for Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics that occupies Wartik Laboratory. Excellent facilities sponsored by the department and the Huck Insitutes for Life Sciences provide our faculty and students with high-tech instrumentation and resources to support their research and training. The department is committed to a diverse and stimulating work environment allowing everyone to reach his or her highest potential.
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