Griffith University

Microbiology is the study of microbes: bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses. They are the smallest forms of life on earth but dominate the biosphere and impact on all aspects of our life, from medicine and the environment through to the food we eat and the water we drink. Some of the more important and interesting areas dealing with microbes include

• Astrobiology: studying the origins of life on Earth and what sort of life might be present on other planets like Mars
• Investigating extremophiles: microbes that live at the deepest depths of the ocean, in the frozen lakes of the Antarctic or in hydrothermal waters at temperatures greater than 100°C
• Understanding diseases such as malaria, typhoid, gangrene, dengue fever, anthrax, plague and AIDS, or even the flu, common cold and food poisoning
• Microbial biotechnology: production of fermented food and beverages such as cheese, yoghurts, beer and wine to name a few, as well as antibiotics and biofuels like bioethanol
• Bioremediation: the use of microbes in the clean up of pollutants and oil spills
• The discovery of new life forms with novel characteristics

If these areas are of interest to you, then we have a number of programs in microbiology that you will find challenging and rewarding. Our programs cover all areas of microbiology from the basic understanding of microbes through to the their application and the critical role they play in our everyday life. Careers in microbiology are as broad as the science itself.

Our programs study topical areas such as antibiotic resistant bacteria and emerging diseases like swine flu, avian flu or severe haemorrhagic fevers caused by viruses like Ebola. We look at the role and types of microbes involved in bioterrorism, and their importance in the emerging areas of Astrobiology, genetic engineering and production of alternative fuels. A major focus is also on applied microbiology from traditional biotechnology processes like the production of antibiotics, vaccines, foods and wastewater treatment through to the application of molecular biology for the discovery of new microbes, microbial products, the clean up of pollutants and in forensic microbiology. A major focus is the rapidly evolving areas of microbial genome mapping and bioinformatics.

Microbiology is advancing rapidly with new technologies being used to study microbes associated with human diseases through to those that live in extreme environments. These have dramatically increased our understanding and changed the way we study microbes, and make for an exciting future in microbiology.

What can I study?

• Clinical microbiology
• Molecular microbiology
• General microbiology