Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology (ICMB)
Founded in 1997 as the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology (ICMB), we are a university-wide, interdisciplinary research unit, whose goal is to promote cell and molecular biology research and education at the University of Texas at Austin. Full funding for ICMB began in September 1997 with the opening of the Louise and James Robert Moffett Molecular Biology Building (MBB). ICMB grew to encompass more than 130 faculty members affiliated with the Colleges of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Pharmacy, and the Dell Medical School.
Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (ILS) Graduate Programs
Beginning 2021, ICMB has adopted a new name: the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (ILS) Graduate Programs. This change has been made to better reflect the growing variety of disciplines represented within the Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Mircobiology graduate programs.
Participating ILS faculty are broadly interdisciplinary with research areas including biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, molecular biology, molecular evolution, molecular genetics, microbiology, nanoscience, systems and synthetic biology, neurobiology, chemical biology, drug development, structural biology, biophysics, biodefense, nutrition, pharmaceutical sciences, bioengineering, bioinformatics, and computational biology.
ILS faculty, post-docs, and graduate students are highly interactive and engage in numerous interdisciplinary collaborations. A strong component of research in ILS is biomedical, and major expansion of medically oriented faculty and research also took place with the opening of the new Dell Medical School on the UT Austin campus.
In addition to providing financial and administrative support for three graduate programs, ILS also hosts a regular interdisciplinary seminar series, with invited speakers from other leading universities and research institutes. ILS also sponsors three endowed annual lectures, the Walter J. Burdette Distinguished Lecture in Molecular Genetics, the Paul D. Gottlieb lecture, which is organized and hosted by CMB graduate students, and the John Charles Sisson Memorial Lecture Series with the Department of Molecular Biosciences. These lecture series bring high profile scientists to The University of Texas campus. Additionally, an annual retreat graduate program faculty, staff, and graduate students fosters interdepartmental interactions and collaborations.
This website introduces you to ILS faculty and their research programs, the Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Microbiology graduate programs, and seminar series. Enjoy exploring and connect with ILS to learn more!
UT Austin also offers separately-administered programs in Neuroscience, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Plant Biology.
