MCDB Home > Department > About the Department

The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) at UC Santa Barbara is comprised of approximately 25 research groups with interests ranging from the structure and function of biological macromolecules to the fundamental processes used in cellular function and the integration of these processes during microbe, plant, and animal development. Research in MCDB is at the forefront of basic molecular biology, contributing to the exciting revolution in biology brought about by the sequencing of entire genomes, powerful new computers and microscopes, and interdisciplinary approaches that combine biology, nanotechnology and bioengineering. Research in the areas of microbiology, neurobiology, stem cell biology, cancer biology, genetics, cell biology, marine biology, bodefense, and development is aimed at understanding the mysteries of how molecules combine to form living cells, and how dysfunction results in disease.

• How is gene expression regulated during development in the embryo?
• How are signals transduced across the cell membrane when hormones bind receptors?
• How do cells in plants and animals respond to their environments?
• How do cells interact with each other to form tissues as complex as the brain?
• What molecular changes give rise to diseases such as infectious diseases, cancer, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, macular degeneration, and polycystic kidney disease?
• How can stem cells and pharmaceuticals be used to treat these maladies?

The MCDB Department is strongly committed to excellence in both research and education, and has a rich history of significant contributions to molecular biology. Faculty members include Robert Sinsheimer, one of the originators of the human genome project, John Carbon, a pioneer of recombinant DNA technology, and renowned cell biologist Erkki Ruoslahti, recipient of the Japan Prize in 1995. Distinctions earned by MCDB researchers include election into the National Academy of Sciences and receipt of the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, and Searle and Beckman Scholar awards. We are proud to note that recently Professor Steve Fisher received the Sallmann Prize and was selected as Regents Lecturer; Professor David Low was elected as an AAAS Fellow; Professor Eduardo Orias received the Emile Maupas Medal; Dan Morse was selected as one of the top 50 scientists by Scientific American, and Professor Chuck Samuel received the Humboldt Research Award, and was elected Fellow of the Society of Microbiology and the AAAS. MCDB faculty members are also known for their excellence in teaching. Four Professors, Clegg, Feinstein, Foltz and Mahan, have all received the campus' Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in the Sciences.

The department maintains cross-disciplinary associations with other academic programs, including those in Chemistry and Biochemistry; Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB); Physics; Psychology; and the College of Engineering. MCDB faculty are also major participants in nationally recognized campus research units such as the Neuroscience Research Institute, the Marine Science Institute, The Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, the California NanoSystems Institute, and the Materials Research Laboratory.

MCDB faculty laboratories and core facilities are located in the biology corridor of the campus along Ocean Road, including the Bio-2 building, the Marine Biotechnology building, and the newly completed Life Science and Technology building. Active campus core facilities are supported in Microscopy, Proteomics and Genomics, Spectroscopy and Stem Cell Research. Chemical and biological nanotechnology labs and clean rooms are available in the College of Engineering. Research is supported by an excellent information technology group, and by biological and chemical storerooms, equipment repair and fabrication shops, marine vessel and dive services, greenhouses, mariculture facilities and an animal resource center.

MCDB offers BA and BS degrees in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Microbiology and Pharmacology (see Undergraduate Program). At the graduate level, both Masters and Ph. D programs are available (see Graduate Program).

Outstanding faculty, state-of-the-art research facilities, excellent support staff, and an incomparable campus setting on the Pacific Ocean, combine to provide MCDB students with a rich and intellectually stimulating environment for research and learning.