About

Molecular Biosciences

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The Department of Molecular Bioscience offices are located in the ISA and BSF buildings at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. The department is home to approximately 35 full-time faculty members, over 70 graduate students and offers courses to approximately 1200 undergraduate biology students.

The mission of the Department of Molecular Biosciences (MBS) at the University of South Florida is to prepare students for professional careers in the areas of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology.

We pursue excellence in the following programmatic research areas through strategic hires, grant acquisitions and scholarly publications:

  • Genome Integrity and Mechanisms of Aging
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis and Resistance
  • Structural and Computational Biology

We serve the University, scientific and greater community by providing intellectual resources and engaging in scholarly activities that are consistent with our education and research missions.

The MBS Department has responsibility for the education of undergraduate and graduate students in core cell biology, molecular biology, genetics and microbiology topics as well as more specialized areas that require detailed knowledge of these subjects. To accomplish this mission, MBS offers curricula that will lead to Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Microbiology, Masters of Science degrees in Biology and Microbiology and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. Courses are also designed to meet the needs to students majoring in other science disciplines as well as non-science areas.

The faculty and students of MBS pursue scientific knowledge through rigorous research programs both within the department and in collaboration with other departments and universities. The knowledge gained through these programs is disseminated through professional mechanisms of communication as well as through classroom activities. MBS faculty view the research activities as integrated with its teaching mission so that students fully understand the topical goals and methodologies within cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, microbiology and other specialized areas within these disciplines.

The MBS department maintains inter-disciplinary relationships with other academic programs including those at the Moffitt Cancer Research Center, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering and Molecular Medicine. We are major participants in the USF Florida Center of Excellence for Bio-molecular Identification and Targeted Therapeutics, a major instrumentation center located on campus.