Virology, immunology, oncology, and metabolic diseases are broad research areas being pursued by various members of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Research opportunities are available to explore interactions of viruses with host cells and organisms, with emphasis on herpesviruses, adenoviruses, papovaviruses, papillomaviruses, retroviruses, and hepatitis virus. Individual research programs center on virus replicatin and assembly, neurovirulence, latency and reactivation, oncogenesis, and the role of the celular immune repsonse in these processes. Viral systems are also utlized as models for study of eukaryotic gene regulation and the human immune response. Qualified students receive a stipend and tuition waiver.
Qualified students receive a stipend and tuition waiver.
The Neuroscience program is an interdepartmental program that brings together scientists from different basic and clinical disciplines to focus on the nervous system. Their challenge is to understand how the nervous system developes, functions, and ages, and how is is disrupted by disease. Some researchers seek to clarify the machinery of the brain at the cellular, molecular, or genetic levels. Others seek to understand how the nervous system processes information, controls autonomic functions, regulates states of consciousness, or determines behavior. Still others search for the means to diagnose, prevent, and successfully treat malignant brain tumors, congenital and acquired brain diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, or dysfunctions caused by pathologic states in brain structure.