Department of Microbiology and Immunology (GRAD)

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, an administrative division of the School of Medicine, is a unit of The Graduate School. It offers instruction leading to the doctor of philosophy degree. A terminal master of science degree is granted only under special conditions. The department is highly regarded in many scientific disciplines, including immunology, microbial pathogenesis, virology, infectious diseases, host/pathogen interactions, molecular genetics, prokaryotic and eukaryotic molecular and cellular biology, and cancer biology. Research in the department is supported by funds from the University, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and other private foundations and granting agencies.

Research Environment

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology consists of approximately 75 faculty members with active research laboratories, 60 graduate students, 60 postdoctoral scientists, 20 research staff, and 10 administrative staff, who together form a highly interactive, friendly, and collaborative community.

The department occupies the entire sixth floor (~25,000 net square feet) of the Marsico Hall, as well as the recently renovated ninth floor of the Burnett-Womack Building. A significant number of faculty members who hold primary appointments in the department have laboratories in the nearby Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as other departments within the School of Medicine and Gillings School of Global Public Health.

A variety of modern equipment is available in individual laboratories or shared by multiple users throughout the department. Well-equipped research laboratories are supplemented by specialized rooms dedicated to tissue culture, controlled temperature environments, BSL3 physical containment for research on microbial select agents, supervised animal care, etc. In addition, the University operates an extensive network of core facilities with major equipment and expert support staff, including flow cytometry, genomics, proteomics, oligonucleotide synthesis, DNA sequencing, X-ray crystallography, NMR, animal models (transgenic mouse and embryonic stem cell services), animal histopathology, bioinformatics, gene chips, confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry.

The department is fully supplied with high-speed Internet connections (both wired and wireless). University libraries provide electronic access to thousands of professional journals.

Admission

Students seeking admission to the Department of Microbiology and Immunology apply to BBSP, a common portal by which students interested in any of the 15 participating graduate programs begin their studies at UNC–Chapel Hill. To apply, prospective students should visit the BBSP and graduate admissions websites, fill out the online application, and select Microbiology and Immunology as their first choice of interest.

Financial Assistance

All Ph.D. students making satisfactory degree progress receive a stipend plus in-state tuition, fees, and health insurance. Funds are available from individual research grants, training grants, the department, and the University. Students are encouraged to apply for a predoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, or other organizations.

Courses

Numbered 400-999:

As is the case for all graduate students in the basic science departments of the UNC School of Medicine, education during the first year is under the guidance of the interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). Students rotate through three different research laboratories of their choosing in year one. For students interested in microbiology and immunology, recommended classroom courses include Immunobiology (MCRO 614), Virology (MCRO 630), and Microbial Pathogenesis I (MCRO 635).

Upon choosing a dissertation laboratory and joining the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, students are provided with an outstanding learning environment, an opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research, and most importantly, thorough preparation for a successful career in science. The microbiology and immunology Ph.D. program is designed to provide a foundation of fundamental knowledge in modern microbiology and immunology, foster critical scientific thinking, develop written and oral communication skills, allow students to gain teaching experience, and offer opportunities to travel and present posters or talks at national meetings. Specific components of the microbiology and immunology Ph.D. training program include:

  • Completion of six relevant courses, including two courses based directly on discussion of the primary literature (e.g., MCRO 710, MCRO 711, MCRO 712), and MCRO 795 are required. Students typically finish four of the six classes while in BBSP and the remainder during year two. There is no language requirement.
  • The written preliminary exam (also known as the doctoral written examination) consists of an original non-dissertation research proposal, written in a format similar to an NIH pre- or postdoctoral fellowship proposal. The proposal is written whenever the student likes over the course of the spring semester of year two.
  • The oral preliminary exam (also known as the doctoral oral examination) centers on the topic of the dissertation project and provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate his or her ability to discuss the fields of science related to the dissertation proposal, as well as the ability to analyze problems and design experiments. The exam serves a dual purpose as the initial meeting of the dissertation committee. Therefore, a separate decision to approve or disapprove the dissertation project will occur in the same meeting.

Students must regularly attend weekly student and departmental seminars, beginning in year two and present their research annually in the student seminar series beginning in year three.

Students act as teaching assistants for two semesters in department-approved courses, typically in years two and three.

Students form a dissertation committee in the start of year three, obtain approval of their dissertation project, and meet annually with their committee to discuss research progress. Completion of sufficient original research for at least two first-author papers in high-quality peer reviewed journals is expected. As a minimum standard, to earn the Ph.D. degree we require that

  • A student must make meaningful contributions to and be an author on at least two manuscripts intended for publication in respected, high-quality professional journals or books,
  • At least one of the two manuscripts must be a first (or co-first) author primary research manuscript,
  • At least one of the two manuscripts must be accepted for publication, and
  • If the second manuscript is not accepted for publication, then peer reviews must be returned prior to the private Ph.D defense.

Microbiology and Immunology, M.S.

The MCRO MS degree program is primarily research based and exists only to serve two specific populations of students, as described under Admissions Requirements. 

Course Requirements

Core Courses 1
MCRO 710Seminar/Tutorial in Bacterial and Eukaryotic Microbes2
or MCRO 711 Seminar/Tutorial in Animal Virology
or MCRO 712 Seminar/Tutorial in Immunology
MCRO 710Seminar/Tutorial in Bacterial and Eukaryotic Microbes 22
or MCRO 711 Seminar/Tutorial in Animal Virology
or MCRO 712 Seminar/Tutorial in Immunology
Electives
Students must complete at least four graduate level (600 or above) semester-long elective courses in topics plausibly relevant to the scientific or research goals of the student. 34
Thesis/Substitute or Dissertation 4
MCRO 993Master's Research and Thesis3
Minimum Hours30
1

M.S. students must attend at least 1/3 of all student seminars and 1/3 of all faculty seminars each semester.

2

Take another literature-based course, which can be MCRO 710 or MCRO 711 or MCRO 712, or a different course approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The topics discussed in MCRO71X courses change each semester, so the same course number can be taken more than once for credit.

3

Courses are counted by length, not credits, i.e., a 1-credit class and a 4-credit class count equally toward our requirement. To get credit for modular courses (i.e., courses less than a semester in length), sufficient modules (typically three) must be completed to equal one semester long course. Modular courses do not need to be taken in the same semester. BBSP 710 counts as two modules toward the MCRO M.S. degree. BBSP 705 does not count toward the MCRO degree.

4

MCRO 993 is a repeatable course every semester.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.

  • Master’s Committee
  • Master's Oral Exam/Approved Exam Substitute or Master's Written Exam/Approved Exam Substitute
  • Thesis/Substitute Defense
  • Approved Master's Thesis
  • Residence Credit
  • Master’s Exit Survey
  • Master's Intradepartmental Review
  • Master's Research Presentation

Recommended Checklist

  • The expectation is to publish at least one first-author research paper.
  • ​Students should take MCRO 721 in the fifth year unless they have completed the degree.

Microbiology and Immunology, Ph.D.

Our goal is to train MCRO PhD students to become first-rate scientists. The skills that we aim to impart include:

  • Acquisition of broad background knowledge in modern microbiology and immunology.
  • ​Demonstrate ability to critically evaluate the scientific literature. 
  • Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills.
  • Demonstrate facility in experimental design and execution, from concept through interpretation of results to publication.
  • Foster collaboration and comfort with interdisciplinary science.
  • Demonstrate ability to teach.
  • ​Demonstrate appropriate professional conduct, including the responsible conduct of research. 

Our department has collectively developed and fine-tuned a coherent and comprehensive plan for graduate education. Each aspect of our curriculum is designed to foster one or more of the skills listed above.

 Course Requirements

Core Courses 1
MCRO 795Research Concepts2
MCRO 710Seminar/Tutorial in Bacterial and Eukaryotic Microbes2
or MCRO 711 Seminar/Tutorial in Animal Virology
or MCRO 712 Seminar/Tutorial in Immunology
MCRO 710Seminar/Tutorial in Bacterial and Eukaryotic Microbes 22
or MCRO 711 Seminar/Tutorial in Animal Virology
or MCRO 712 Seminar/Tutorial in Immunology
Electives
In addition to the three required courses, students must complete at least three graduate level (600 or above) semester-long elective courses in topics plausibly relevant to the scientific or research goals of the student. Courses are counted by length, not credits, i.e., a 1-credit class and a 4-credit class count equally toward our requirement. To get credit for modular courses (i.e., courses less than a semester in length), sufficient modules (typically three) must be completed to equal one semester long course. Modular courses do not need to be taken in the same semester. BBSP 710 counts as two modules toward the MCRO PhD degree. BBSP 705 does not count toward the MCRO degree.3
Thesis/Substitute or Dissertation
MCRO 994Doctoral Research and Dissertation 33
Minimum Hours36
1

Ph.D. students must attend at least 2/3 of all student seminars and 2/3 of all faculty seminars each semester.

2

Take another literature-based course, which can be MCRO 710 or MCRO 711 or MCRO 712, or a different course approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The topics discussed in MCRO 71X courses change each semester, so the same course number can be taken more than once for credit.

3

Students must take MCRO 994 twice for a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.

  • ​​Doctoral Committee
  • Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Exam
  • Doctoral Written Exam
  • Prospectus Oral Exam
  • Dissertation Defense​
  • Doctoral Dissertation Approved/Format Accepted
  • Residence Credit​
  • Doctoral ​Exit Survey
  • Doctoral Intradepartmental Review
  • Doctoral Teaching Experience
  • Doctoral Research Presentation
  • Doctoral Manuscript Submission

Recommended Checklist

  • The expectation is to publish at least two first-author research papers.
  • ​​Students should take MCRO 721 in the fifth year unless they have completed the degree.

Following the faculty member's name is a section number that students should use when registering for independent studies, reading, research, and thesis and dissertation courses with that particular professor.

Professors

Kristy Ainslie (120), Formulation of Vaccines and Drug Delivery Treatments for Immune Modulation to Treat and Prevent Infectious and Other Diseases1
Ralph Baric (76), Molecular Mechanisms of Virus Cross-Species Transmissibility and Systems Genetics and Pathogenesis1
Robert Bourret (64), Signal Transduction in Bacteria
Brian Button, Mucus Barrier Immunology, Polymer‑Epithelial Interface Mechanics, Epithelial Ion Channel Regulation, Motile Cilia Regulation1
Wesley Burks (102), Allergic Diseases, Mechanisms and Immunotherapy1
Bruce Cairns (93), Immune Response to Injury, Cellular Immunology, Transplantation1
Craig E. Cameron (125), Respiratory Enteroviruses, Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Genome Replication, Host Response, Antiviral Therapy, Single-Cell Analysis, Between-Individual Variation in Host Response, Personalized Medicine
Myron S. Cohen (55), Biology and Epidemiology of Transmission of STD Pathogens (Including HIV)1
Blossom Damania (79), Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8), Rhesus Monkey Rhadinovirus (RRV)
Jeff Dangl (87), Plant Genetics, Plant Microbiome, Plant Disease Resistance and Cell Death Control, Bacterial Type III Secretion Systems1
Toni Darville (117), Chlamydia trachomatis Pathogenesis and Immune Protective Mechanisms1
Kristina De Paris (98), Neonatal/Pediatric Immunology; Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases; HIV and Co-Infections
Aravinda de Silva (73), Arthropod Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases and Microbial Pathogenesis
Dirk Dittmer (88), West Nile Virus (WNV) and Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8)
Gianpietro Dotti (112), Cancer Immunotherapy, Genetic Engineering; T-Cell Therapies, Tumor Microenvironment
Robert L. Ferris, Novel Immuno-Oncology Agents Testing, Anti-Tumor Immunity and Mechanisms of Tumor Escape1
Jack Griffith (35), Chromosome Structure: Viruses and Their Host Cells
Mark Heise (83), Molecular Genetics of Viral Pathogenesis1
Tal Kafri, Development of HIV-Based Vector for Gene Therapy, Epigenetics of HIV and HIV-1 Vectors, Basic Biology of Nonintegrating HIV-1 and HIV-1 Vectors
Sam Lai (105), Mucosal Immunity, Antibody Engineering, Antibody Response to Nanomaterials, Targeted Drug Delivery, Bacteriophage Engineering, Vaccines1
Zhi Liu (91), Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Immunology of Hemidesmosome and Basement Membrane1
David M. Margolis (90), Regulation of Gene Expression, Molecular Biology of Retroviruses, HIV Pathogenesis1 
Cary Moody (103), Pathogenesis of Human Papillomaviruses
Robert A. Nicholas (94), Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms, Bacterial Genetics, Neisseria gonorrhoeae1 
Kenneth N. Oliver, Host-Pathogen Interactions and Therapeutic Targets Related to Chronic Lung Infections and Mycobacterium Abscessus1
David Peden, Translational and Clinical Research in Environmental Lung Disease1
Matthew Redinbo, Structural and Chemical Biology of Host-Pathogen Contacts1
R. Balfour Sartor (77), Etiology and Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (especially Crohn's Disease and Associated Extraintestinal Manifestations)1
Barbara Savoldo (121), Cancer Immunotherapy, T Cell Viral Immunity, T Cells Based Therapies 1 
John L. Schmitz, Infectious, Autoimmune, Allergic diseases, Solid Organ Transplantation, Immunologic Testing Services1
Jonathan Serody (82), Transplantation and Tumor Immunology1
Ronald Swanstrom (74), Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of HIV1    
Rita Tamayo (100), Microbial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Genetics, Bacterial Gene Regulation
Jenny P. Ting (50), Molecular Immunology, Transcription, Signal Transduction, Apoptosis, Neuroimmunology, Transplantation1
Roland Tisch (70), Immune Tolerance, T-Cell Antigen Recognition, T-Cell Mediated Autoimmunity, Tumor Antigen-Specific Genetic Vaccines, Type 1 Diabetes 
David van Duin, Translational/Clinical Research, Antimicrobial Resistance, Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts1
Barbara J. Vilen (78), Molecular Immunology, Signal Transduction, and B Cell Tolerance 
Yisong Wan (103), Regulatory T-Cell and TGF-Beta Signaling Controlled T-Cell Function Under Normal and Pathological Conditions
Jason Whitmire(124), Viral Immunology, Memory T-Cell Differentiation, Vaccines, Inflammation, Microbial Immunology1 
Matthew C. Wolfgang (89), Microbial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Gene Regulation, Host-Pathogen Interactions
Samuel M. Young Jr, Molecular Principles of Auditory Information Processing, Gene Therapy Approaches to Treat Neurological Disorders1

Associate Professors 

Janelle Arthur (113), Microbiota, Inflammation and Innate Immunity, Colorectal Cancer
Luther Bartelt, Microbial Pathogenesis, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Microbiota-Pathogen Interactions, Metabolomics, Immunity1 
Ed Browne (128), Virology, Immunology, HIV-1, Systems Biology, Single Cell Analysis1 
Brian Conlon (115), Antibiotic Resistance, Bacteriology
Camille Ehre, Respiratory Virus and Host Interactions, Muco-Obstructive Lung Diseases, Cellular Response to Infection, Innate Defense Mechanisms1
Misty Good, Neonatology, Developmental Biology, Intestinal Immunity, Mucosal Immunology, Epithelial Biology, Necrotizing Enterocolitis1
Nilu Goonetilleke (116), T-Cell Immunology, HIV-1 Immunobiology
Brent Hanks, Tumor-Mediated Immune Evasion, Immunotherapy Resistance, Dendritic Cell Tolerization, Dendritic Cell Metabolism, NLRP3, Stress-Induced Immunotherapy Resistance, Tumor Dormancy, In Vivo Dendritic Cell Targeting, Biomarker-Guided Immunotherapy1 
Matthew Hirsch, AAV Gene Therapy, Gene Editing, Cellular Response to Foreign DNA1
Helen Lazear (114), Innate Immune Mechanisms that Control Flavivirus Pathogenesis
Jessica Lin, Molecular Epidemiology, Malaria Transmission, Parasite Genotyping, Infectious Disease1
Nancie MacIver, Nutritional Immunology and Immunometabolism1
Jason Mock, Immunology, Acute Lung Injury, Mechanism Underlying Lung Repair and Resolution1
Nathaniel Moorman (104), Molecular Virology, Host Pathogen Interactions, HCMV Pathogenesis
Timothy Moran, Immune Mechanisms of Allergy and Asthma1
Raymond Pickles (86), Respiratory Viruses, Host Innate Defense in the Airway, Virus-Host Cell Interactions, Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis and Other Lung Diseases
Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta (126), Tumor Immunology, B Cell Biology, Immunosuppression and Immunotherapy in Cancer1
Sarah Rowe-Conlon, Antibiotic Mechanism of Action, Chronic Relapsing Bacterial Infections, Antibiotic Tolerance
Celia Shiau, Neuroimmunology, Innate Immune Response, Tissue Macrophages, Microglia, CRISPR Engineering, Developmental Immunology, Genetics and Genomics, In Vivo Microscopy1 
Jessica Thaxton, Stress-Directed Failure of Immune Cells in Cancer1
Ageliki Tsagaratou, Epigenetics, T Cell Differentiation and Function, Cancer1 
Benjamin Vincent (123), How Immunogenomics Features Including T-Cell Receptor and B-Cell Receptor Repertoire Characteristics Predict Survival and Response to Immunotherapy in Breast Cancer, Bladder Cancer, and Acute Myeloid Leukemia1
David Zaharoff (119), Vaccine and Immunotherapy Delivery Platforms1

Assistant Professors

Jacob E. Choby, Antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria
Lisa Gralinski (48), Viral Pathogenesis, Respiratory Disease, Coronavirus, Virus-Host Interactions1
Simon M. Gray, Inflammatory bowel disease 
Indriati Hood-Pischany, Microbial Ecology of the Vaginal Microbiome, Microbiome-Focused Therapeutic Development1
Justin M. Jenson, Innate immunity, anti-phage immunity, molecular mechanism1
Sarah Joseph (49), HIV-1 Evolution and Establishment of Reservoirs, HIV-1 Neuropathogenesis
Qingyun Liu, Bacterial evolution, Antimicrobial resistance, Myobacterium tuberculosis, Population genomics, Host-pathogen interactions1
Ankit Malik, Mucosal Immunology, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Innate-Adaptive Immune Interactions
Brian Miller, Mechanisms of Tumor Response and Resistance to Immunotherapy; Myeloid Cells1
Justin Milner, Cancer Immunotherapy, T Cell Biology, Immune Responses to Viral Infections, Vaccination
Adam Rosenthal (53), Microbial Ecology, Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Bacteria, Microbial-Host Interactions
Deepika Sharma, Mucosal Immunity, Neuroimmune Interactions, Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Regulation
Tim Sheahan (54), Coronavirus Pathogenesis, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Antiviral Development1
Lance Thurlow (130), Host-Pathogen Interactions, Microbial Physiology and Immune Metabolism1
Matthew Vogt (58), Viral Immunology, Antibodies, Acute Flaccid Myelitis, Enterovirus D68, Respiratory Viruses, Pathogenesis

Clinical Professors

Jonathan Hansen (110), Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Host-Microbe Interactions, Microbial Adaptation/Evolution, Experimental Colitis1

Teaching Associate Professors

Gina Donato, Microbiology and immunology medical education and graduate, undergraduate, and pre-health education

Teaching Assistant Professors

Lorraine Cramer, Microbiology and immunology undergraduate, pre-health, and interprofessional health education
Rebekah L. Layton, Biomedical education, training, and workforce development specializing in career development, wellness, and mentoring

Research Associate Professors

Jamie Arnold, Mechanisms of RNA Virus Genome Replication and Antiviral Strategies Targeting Viral Enzymes
W. June Brickey, Host Immune Responses, Radiation Injury, Expression Profiling
Premkumar Lakshmanane, Structural Biology, Protein Engineering, Diagnostics Development, Drug Design, Antibacterial Discovery
Alessandra Livraghi-Butrico, Airway Mucosal Immunology1
Shaomin Tian, Nanoparticle-Mediated Drug Delivery, Nano-Vaccine Formulation for Infectious Diseases and Cancer Immunotherapy
Kimberly Walker, Microbial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Gene Regulation

Research Assistant Professors

Maria Abad Fernandez, Flavivirus vaccine and natural immunity, Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), Functional serology and antibody profiling, Human cohort studies
Mohamad Sotoudegan, Single-Cell Virology, Microfluidics, (Bio)MEMS 
Balamayooran Theivanthiran, Tumor-intrinsic NLRP3 inflammasome, Neutrophil progenitor cells
Shuntai Zhou, HIV Virology, Molecular Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, Data Science and Machine Learning

Professors Emeriti

Steven L. Bachenheimer
Janne G. Cannon
Peggy Cotter
Susan A. Fiscus
Nancy C. Fisher
Jeffrey A. Frelinger
Peter H. Gilligan 
William Goldman
Jean Handy
Robert E. Johnston
David G. Klapper
Stanley M. Lemon
Virginia L. Miller 
John E. Newbold
Joseph S. Pagano 
Nancy Raab-Traub
Howard M. Reisner 
P. Frederick Sparling
William J. Yount 

Associate Professor Emeritus

Glenn Matsushima
Julie Nelson

1

non-primary faculty members

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

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Chair

Craig E. Cameron

craig_cameron@med.unc.edu

Director of Graduate Studies

Robert B. Bourret

bourret@med.unc.edu

Student Services Manager

Jamie DeSoto

jamie_desoto@unc.edu