Cornell University - Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

The explosion of genome-scale data over the last decade offers unprecedented opportunities to understand fundamental principles of biology and to apply biological knowledge to critical medical, agricultural, and environmental problems. Every day, faculty in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG) engage in cutting-edge research, training, and teaching to advance scientific discovery and answer basic questions in the life sciences. MBG faculty and students continuously deliver the highest standard of research because of their demonstrated excellence in linking genomes to gene and protein function in the context of cells, tissues, organisms, and the environment. Mission Our goal is to inspire and train the next generation of scientists, teachers, and communicators by providing research mentorship and classroom instruction in biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, and related disciplines and by initiating and participating in collaborative research across the Cornell campuses. History The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics was formed in 2000 when the Section of Genetics and Development (GD) merged with the Section of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology (BMCB). These sections were each created as part of the Division of Biological Sciences, which formed in 1964 to unite faculty members from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Agriculture and Life Sciences. In 2007, the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology was founded with many members of MBG as an interdisciplinary research institute focusing on cell signaling and molecular dynamics.