Research

Microbiology at Oregon State has a longstanding tradition of teaching excellence and educating students across the breadth of modern microbiology. The Department of Microbiology originated as a single course in Bacteriology in 1899. It has evolved into a world-class center for innovative and cutting-edge research on microbial communities in humans and animals.

Our approximately 20 faculty pursue collaborative and transdisciplinary research and teaching in numerous aspects of microbial biology to address environmental, medical and molecular biological problems, and create new resources for a healthy environment. The interdisciplinary nature of our research is reflected in our faculty, who have joint appointments in the Departments of Veterinary Medicine, Statistics, Fisheries and Wildlife, the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing. They collaborate with faculty across the university on microbiome and marine studies initiatives and in bioresource research and bioenergy programs.

Research goals

Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their scholarship, collaboration and highly-funded research. Our goals as a department are to support their research by providing state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment, recruiting the most talented people, mentoring new faculty as they establish their research programs, and working collaboratively with other teams across Oregon State University and beyond to make relevant research discoveries that benefit people and the environment.

Undergraduate research

From scholarships for summer research in the field and in laboratories across campus to international internships, microbiology majors will have opportunities to learn cutting-edge research methods, deepen foundational knowledge and gain professional experience before graduation.