Bacteria class 1936

101 Years of Microbiology at UC Davis

From humble beginnings to multidisciplinary powerhouse, microbiology at UC Davis continues to grow

2023 signals the 101st year of microbiology at UC Davis. From the discipline’s humble beginnings as a one-person research and teaching unit in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, microbiology at Davis has grown and diversified.

“We're beginning the second century of microbiology at UC Davis, and it has taken quite a turn from its beginnings in dairy microbiology,” said Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, a Distinguished Professor and chair in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, who has been with the department since 1998 and chair since 2012. “The innovation driven by microbial research has shaped the life sciences and our society; from the molecular biology revolution to mRNA-based vaccines in the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Heyer.

To celebrate its 101st year at UC Davis, we’re taking a decade-by-decade look at how microbiology has evolved during its first century on campus.

Read the full story here.