Department of Microbiology at UMass Amherst

Effective September 1, 2023, Mandy Muller was promoted to the faculty rank of associate professor with tenure.  Wilmore Webley was promoted to the rank of professor and is also the Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion at UMass Amherst.

Raveen Armstrong attended the New England Association of Parasitologists meeting on June 15, 2023 at Boston College. Raveen's research presentation was voted best poster during the symposium. Raveen is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Microbiology Graduate Program under the guidance of Michele Klingbeil, Professor of Microbiology.

In a recent article in iScience, Professor Barry Goodell and collaborators showed how a unique microbial chemistry allows a gel-like coating to form around many microorganisms. Once formed the gel-layer, known as the extracellular matrix or ECM, prevented the diffusion of large proteins, such as enzymes, into substrates. This finding challenges traditional microbial theory that assumes many large molecules, once secreted, can readily diffuse from microorganisms through the ECM into substrates or hosts.”

Ashley Eng, a Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) student and microbiology major, will be one of 10 students to receive the 21st Century Leaders Award at UMass Commencement 2023. The award is given in recognition of a strong academic record, exemplary achievements as well as distinguished intellectual accomplishments. Eng is an undergraduate researcher with Kristen DeAngelis, Professor of Microbiology. Eng's research in microbial ecology and how climate change impacts soil microbes has led her to present her work at national conferences and in 2022 was selected for a Goldwater Scholarship.