Department of Microbiology

About Us


	HOD Message

	Leadership

	Research Services

	Research Facilities

	Awards

	Join Us

	mBio Gives Back


	Donate

	Contact Us

The Department of Microbiology@NUS

The Department’s grand history of excellence began in 1925, then known as the Department of Bacteriology, led by Prof. A Neave Kingsbury. Besides teaching, routine bacteriological diagnosis and vaccines production, research work was also performed on viral diseases and leprosy. In the years leading up to 1950, the Department of Biology conducted teaching and research on parasitology. When separate departments of Botany and Zoology were instituted in the Faculty of Science of the then University of Malaya, the Department of Biology was replaced by the Department of Parasitology chaired by Prof. A A Sandosham. In 1974, both the Departments of Bacteriology and Parasitology were merged into the Department of Microbiology under the headship of Prof. Viqar Zaman.

In recent years, research on immunology, genetics, virology, bacteriology, host-pathogen interactions, and applied and industrial microbiology has progressed further, while scientific collaborations both within Singapore and overseas have developed. Located within the Department are the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Immunology, National Malaria reference Centre, and MOH Hepatitis B Testing Quality Assurance Centre. The completion of the human genome sequence and many microbial genomes, has provided us with opportunities to focus research on microbial pathogenesis and the development of molecular-based microbial diagnostics and vaccines. The Department is also blending powerful tools developed in the physical and computational sciences into biology to develop cutting-edge capabilities in the Life Sciences.

The Department of Microbiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine a faculty and two major research programmes that are internationally competitive. The international team of researchers, led by Prof. David Michael Kemeny, comprises academics whose interest include research on Immunology, Virology, Bacteriology, Parasitology, host-pathogen interactions and vaccine development. The two major research programmes in the Department are the Immunology and Infectious Disease Programmes.

Within these programmes are six research themes. They are emerging/ re-emerging infections, tropical diseases, viral cancers, anti-infectives and immunobiology.

The Department is strategically located on the NUS campus between the Faculty of Science and the National University Hospital, thus providing as excellent environment for collaborations with investigators in both pre-clinical as well as clinical fields. Fully equipped state-of-the-art core facilities and a vibrant research community exist at the Department and collegiality among different laboratories is further fostered by the close proximity of the Centre for Life Sciences (CeLS), Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD). Quality and world-class education in Immunology, Microbiology, Virology, Bacteriology, Parasitology, Molecular Biology and Infectious Diseases is delivered to Medical, Dental and Life Science undergraduate and postgraduate students, ensuring learning will always be an exciting and challenging process at the Department.