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The inhabitants of Earth are mostly microbes, and their activities are central to human welfare. Microbes can cause disease, but a properly functioning microbiome is essential for health. Microbes spoil food, but drive many forms of food production. Microbes mediate organismic decay, but catalyze numerous geochemical processes essential for life on Earth.
Research in the Penn Microbiology Department focuses on infectious agents that threaten global health, with an emphasis on understanding molecular mechanisms and developing key new methods. Areas of focus include SARS-CoV-2, HIV, pathogenic bacteria of the airway and gut, cancer causing viruses, emerging infectious diseases, and the human microbiome. On the host side, faculty study many areas of immunology related to infection, including innate and adaptive immunity, tumor immunology and vaccine development.
Penn Micro on Bluesky
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Friday, February 6, 2026
Microbiology Seminar 🔬 Wednesday 2/11/26 12-1PM CRB Austrian Auditorium Sabra Klein, PhD "SeXX matters for respiratory virus pathogenesis" www.sabrakleinlab.org
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Friday, February 6, 2026
Prokaryotic Seminar 🦠 Monday 2/9/26 4-5PM 209 Johnson Pavilion Joel Babdor, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics “Exploring Microbiome Communities and Molecular Cues Shaping Baseline Immune Variations in health and disease”
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Wednesday, January 28, 2026
NO Microbiology Seminar 🔬 on Wednesday 2-4-26
Departmental Events
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Prokaryotic Seminar
Monday, Februrary 16: 4pm in 209 Johnson Pavilion
Kelsey O'Brien, John Lab
“Diverging substrate specificity of a Staphylococcal prodrug-activating hydrolase”
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Virology Seminar
Tuesday, February 17: 4pm in 209 Johnson Pavilion
Amber Abbott, Weitzman Lab
“Proteomic and spatial imaging screens to define how adenovirus alters cellular RNA binding proteins"
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Microbiology Seminar
Wednesday, February 18th: 12pm in CRB Austrian Auditorium
Geelsu Hwang, PhD :: UPenn
“Engineering-driven oral health research”