Molecular Biology
About
Research in Molecular Biology at UVA employs a variety of techniques to identify and characterize molecular interactions and determine how such interactions are regulated.Regardless of whether a research lab focuses on biological problems at the organismal, cellular, biochemical, biophysical or structural level, the discipline of molecular biology likely plays an integral role. The techniques of molecular biology include manipulation of DNA (including cloning and PCR), gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation, and various types of hybridization techniques (including “blots”) to detect DNA, RNA or protein.
At the University of Virginia, graduate students in the majority of our research labs employ molecular biological approaches to address problems that span the full range of modern biological inquiry. We seek graduate students with a passionate interest in exploiting any and all avenues to discover answers to the most important biological problems.
Since molecular biology impacts virtually all aspects of biological research, training in this discipline helps provide our students with the foundation needed for successful careers in academia and industry.
Faculty
Abbas, Tarek A.
The Ubiquitin System and Human Cancer
Abounader, Roger
Basic and translational brain tumor research
Agaisse, Hervé
Genetic approaches, cellular and molecular biology of intracellular pathogen infection
Auble, David T.
Molecular Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation
Bekiranov, Stefan
Computational Biology; Bioinformatics; Precision Medicine; Machine Learning/AI; Quantum Computing
Bielinsky, Anja Katrin
Genome instability syndromes in cancer and immune deficiencies
Bland, Michelle
Molecular mechanisms linking innate immune and insulin signaling to control cell growth and metabolism
Bouton, Amy H.
Signaling Pathways and Breast Cancer
Brown, Michael G.
Natural Killer Cells, Viral Immunity, Genetic basis of host resistance to viral infection, Tumor immunity, Immune cell regulation
Caliari, Steven
Engineering biomaterials as cellular microenvironments
Chalfant, Charles Edward
Hematology and Oncology, Cell Biology, Lipid Signaling, Cancer Cell Signaling, and RNA Biology
Cliffe, Anna
Herpes Simplex Virus Infection of Neurons
Connelly, Jessica J.
Epigenetic mechanisms involved in complex human disease
Cross, Janet V.
Contribution of the Inflammatory Microenvironment to Tumor Initiation, Progression and Metastasis; Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Chemoprevention
Derewenda, Zygmunt S.
Structure-function relationships in proteins
Derré, Isabelle
Host/pathogen Interaction - Chlamydia Infection
DeSimone, Douglas W.
Cell Adhesion and Adhesion-Dependent Cell Signaling in Vertebrate Morphogenesis
Egelman, Edward H.
Structure and Function of Macromolecular Complexes Using Electron Microscopy
Elliott, Michael R.
Macrophage effector functions in inflammation and immunotherapy
Engel, Daniel A.
Drug Discovery and Molecular Biology of Pathogenic RNA viruses: Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza and Zika
Fallahi-Sichani, Mohammad
Cancer systems biology, Single-cell quantitative biology, Computational modeling
Garcia-Blanco, Mariano A.
RNA-protein interactions in antiviral immunity and autoimmune diseases.
Garrett-Bakelman, Francine
Acute Myeloid Leukemia: molecular and cellular biology events which mediate aberrant epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms during disease establishment and progression
Gelfand, Bradley
Blinding disease age-related macular degeneration, utilizing the tools of immunology, molecular biology, and engineering.
Gioeli, Daniel
Signal transduction in cancer cells
Goldfarb, Adam N.
Hematopathology and Understanding the Molecular Basis of Hematopoiesis and Leukemogenesis
Grainger, Robert M.
Molecular embryology--gene regulation in cells committed to specific developmental lineages
Guler, Ali D.
Circadian entrainment for the treatment of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases
Guler, Jennifer
Mechanisms of Genetic and Metabolic Adaptation in the Malaria Parasite, Plasmodium falciparum
Halme, Adrian J.
Regeneration and Systemic Responses to Tissue Damage
Harris, Thurl E
Molecular mechanisms controlling insulin signaling and fat synthesis.
Jiang, Hao
Regulation of stem cell function and tumorigenesis by epigenetics and biomolecular condensation (phase separation)
Keller, Raymond E.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis
Kelly, Kimberly
Advancement in the design of imaging agents; molecular imaging and radiological sciences.
Kendall, Melissa M.
Bacterial cell signaling, host-pathogen interactions, intestinal pathogens
Kozminski, Keith G.
Regulation of Polarized Morphogenesis
Kuyumcu-Martinez, Muge N
RNA regulatory networks and RNA binding proteins during cardiovascular development and in cardiovascular disease
Laubach, Victor E.
Understanding mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury after lung transplantation to identifying therapeutic targets.
Liu, Wenpeng
Genetic and Epigenetic stability in human cancer
Lukens, John R.
Understanding How Immunological Pathways Contribute to Neurodegenerative, Neurodevelopmental, Mental and Behavior Disorders
Mahadevan, Mani S.
Molecular Mechanisms of Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy
Martin, Timothy Dean
Identifying tumor selective drug targets, Understanding the genetic drivers of tumor immune evasion
Mayo, Marty W.
Transcriptional Regulation by NFKB
Mohi, Golam
Cell signaling, stem cell biology, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of blood and breast cancers
Naegle, Kristen
Regulation and function of tyrosine phosphorylation in complex networks
Pani, Ariel
Investigating the cell-biological foundations of development
Park, Kwon-Sik
Mechanisms of tissue/organ homeostasis and tumorigeensis
Peirce-Cottler, Shayn M.
Tissue Engineering and Regeneration, Computational Systems Biology, Vascular Growth and Remodeling, Stem Cell Therapies
Pemberton, Lucy F.
Nuclear Transport in Chromatin Assembly and Transcriptional Regulation
Ramakrishnan, Girija
Microbial Pathogenesis
Ratan, Aakrosh
Genomics, Molecular Evolution, Algorithm Design and Analysis
Redemann, Stefanie
Chromosome segregation and aneuploidy in meiosis and mitosis
Rekosh, David M.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Gene Expression; Human Endogenous Viruses; SARS-CoV-2 Protein Trafficking; Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation
Schulman, Ira G.
Regulation of transcription by nuclear hormone receptors, transcriptional control of metabolism and inflammation, small molecule approaches to drug discovery
Shi, Weibin
Molecular and genetic determinants of atherosclerosis and cardiometabolic disorders.
Shin, Jung-Bum
Auditory Neurobiology
Smith, Jeffrey S.
Transcriptional Silencing and Aging in Yeast
Sun, Shengyi Iris
Role of endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation in health and disease
Swiatecka-Urban, Agnieszka
Regulation of cell-surface stability and intracellular trafficking of membrane proteins in epithelial cells
Tang, Shangming
Complex Genome Rearrangements
Trinh, Bon Q
Understanding Protein and RNA regulations of gene expression via chromatin structure in myeloid cell development and diseases
Tsihlis, Nick
Vascular Biology, Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Drug Delivery
Wang, Yuh-Hwa
Genome instability in cancer and repeat expansion diseases
Wotton, David
Regulation of Gene Expression, Development and Tumor Progression by TGF beta Signaling
Zeichner, Steven L.
Pathogenesis of infectious diseases and the development of new therapies and vaccines for infectious diseases and cancers.
Zimmer, Jochen
Transport of biopolymers across biological membranes with a particular interest in polysaccharide and protein translocation.