Jorge Benach
Department Chair

Janet Hearing
Graduate Program Director

The Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology offers a diversified course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree. The major areas of study are viral, bacterial and fungal pathogenesis, cell cycle regulation, mechanisms of signal transduction, and the molecular biology of cancer. The Program’s training faculty currently number 53 and come from seven departments at Stony Brook University as well as the nearby research institutions of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. The highly collaborative atmosphere within the Program and state-of-the-art facilities provide the tools and intellectual environment for our trainees to make important discoveries and contributions in their chosen fields through manuscript authorship and to build a networking community to enhance future career opportunities.

Students complete coursework within the first three semesters of study and participate in a graduate student seminar series every fall and spring semester. In addition to courses and training received in the laboratory, students benefit greatly from participation in journal clubs, external seminar speaker series, research symposia, and career development workshops. In addition, our students regularly present their research at prestigious national and international conferences. The great success of this training program may be seen in the prominent positions our graduates hold at leading research universities and institutions, in industry, and in government.

We invite you to explore our website and learn more about the Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. If you have any questions about the Program, please contact us directly.