How much of the way a brain works reflects fundamental principles shared across species—and how much has been shaped by the particular environments and behaviors a species has […]

MCB faculty, researchers, and scientists gathered at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth on September 18–19 for the annual MCB Research Retreat. This year’s theme, “Inspiring […]

The Life Sciences Departments in Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences seek to recruit a tenure-track professor whose research is at the interface of AI and life sciences, […]

MCB Professor Nicholas Bellono has been named a 2026 Schmidt Sciences Polymath, receiving up to $2.5 million over five years to pursue an ambitious new research direction exploring […]

Joseph S. Takahashi, PhD, a pioneering researcher whose discoveries helped uncover the genetic mechanisms governing circadian rhythms, will deliver the Paul Doty Lecture on Thursday, October 8, at […]

From Breakthroughs to Better Health: Biochemical Sciences Tutorial Centennial Continues October 3 From understanding how the immune system controls its responses to developing cancer vaccines, investi...

Tien Nguyen, a fifth-year MCO graduate student, has received an NIH F31 fellowship to investigate how bacteria coordinate the final stages of cell division, research that could uncover […]

For MCB postdoctoral researcher Colin Kim, studying plants means discovering what talented chemists they can be—and learning how their molecular machinery might be harnessed to make medicines. Kim, […...

For the middle-school students who attended Harvard MCB’s inaugural BioCamp this summer, learning biology meant doing biology. Campers grew bacteria, peered through microscopes, dissected sheep brains...

For students interested in science, getting started in a research laboratory can be daunting. Finding a lab, approaching a faculty member, designing experiments, and even knowing what questions […]

Haim Sompolinsky, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and of Physics in Residence, has been awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal, one of the most prestigious international honors in […]

How do plants that first appeared hundreds of millions of years ago produce molecules that may one day help treat human disease? That question is at the heart […]

Congratulations to Virgil Guo ’28, a Statistics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) double concentrator, and Melany Hirsh ’27, a Neuroscience concentrator, who were among five Harvard College […]

Sometimes, groundbreaking discoveries begin with what looks like a failed experiment. Researchers in the lab of MCB Professor Nicholas Bellono have discovered that octopuses possess a unique structura...

Wendy Valencia-Montoya, a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows affiliated with the lab of MCB Professor Nick Bellono, has been awarded two of the most coveted […]

Rebecka Sepela, a postdoctoral researcher in Nicholas Bellono’s MCB lab, has received an NIH Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Award to study how animals derive information from their external […]

BioCamp’s summer sessions have been a hit, with all modules now full except the August 3–14 Microbiology session, which still has a few openings. If you know a […]

Two recent Harvard graduates with ties to the MCB department have been named recipients of the prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholars fellowship at Stanford University, joining a global cohort of […]

Several MCB-affiliated faculty members have been selected as recipients of the Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research, one of Harvard’s most prestigious internal funding competition...

Why do animals respond differently to the same social situation? According to new research from the MCB lab of Florian Engert, the answer may depend as much on […]

Arshia Mostoufi, an MCO PhD candidate in the lab of  Ya-Chieh Hsu in Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, has received a prestigious doctoral fellowship from […]

Understanding how a single genetic mutation can alter the shape of a developing organ has long posed a challenge for developmental biologists. While researchers can readily study the […]

A dead fly perched high on a blade of grass, wings raised, glued in place by its own mouthparts, might look like something out of a horror movie. […]

After nearly two decades at Harvard, neuroscientist Naoshige Uchida is preparing to take on a new role: chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). Uchida, […]

After nearly 20 years of meticulous research, a team of Harvard scientists has published findings in Nature Neuroscience (PDF) that fundamentally challenge how we think about brain development. […]

Two MCB postdoctoral researchers, Matthew Capek and Ruoyu (Roy) Chen, have been awarded prestigious fellowships from the Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research, one of the nation’s […]

Recent Harvard graduate Vanessa Frelih has been awarded the Robert J Glushko Thesis Prize which recognizes outstanding undergraduate thesis research in cognitive science.  A Neuroscience concentrator ...

When Harvard announced its 2026 Harvard Heroes, one familiar name stood out to members of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Committee on Chemical and […]

MCB Professor Venkatesh Murthy is featured in a recent Harvard Crimson article examining the growth and impact of the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial […]

Eight graduating seniors in our MCB and Neuroscience concentrations have received the prestigious Thomas T. Hoopes Prize, Harvard College’s premier undergraduate prize recognizing outstanding scholarl...

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) proudly congratulates all of our graduating students! First and foremost, we celebrate our PhD graduates. This year, 11 students in […]

Two MCB curriculum and pedagogy managers have been recognized for their dedication to undergraduate education and student mentorship, highlighting the department’s ongoing commitment to excellence in ...

This spring, MCB celebrates Julia Fannon, Assistant Director of Human Resources,  Audrie Cortes Puentes, HR & Academic Affairs Coordinator, who each will each earn Master’s degrees in Industrial-Organ...

The Harvard Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) is thrilled to announce that senior neuroscience concentrator Kathryn (Katy) Nairn has been awarded the prestigious John Dowling Prize. [...

Harvard College Professor Andrew Murray of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, the Herchel Smith Professor of Molecular Genetics, and Director of the Rowland Institute at Harvard, […]

Rebecka Sepela, a postdoctoral fellow in the MCB lab of Nick Bellono, has won a 2026 Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholars Fellowship Award in Neuroscience from The Warren Alpert […]

We are thrilled to announce that seven outstanding Harvard College juniors concentrating in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), Chemical and Physical Biology (CPB), and Neuroscience have been electe...

Faculty, instructors, postdoctoral fellows, and teaching staff from across Harvard will gather on Tuesday, May 19, for a daylong Teaching Retreat focused on undergraduate science education, innovative...

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has announced the appointment of five new Harvard College Professors, including Jeff Lichtman, the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular […]

Several MCB-affiliated students have been recognized with prestigious Student Leadership Awards from the Dean of Students Office. Each spring, the Dean of Students Office celebrates individuals and st...

A dog unearths a bone buried months ago. A moth flies across a forest toward an orchard. A person opens container after container in the fridge, trying to […]

From April 30 through May 3, the Harvard Arts Festival returns to campus, showcasing the creativity of students, faculty, and staff across disciplines. This year’s festival once again […]

A new study from the lab of Catherine Dulac, the Xander University Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, in collaboration with Xiawei Zhuang of Harvard’s Departments […]

Now gearing up for the 2026 season, Rhino League volleyball sign-ups are officially open for another summer of friendly competition, cross-department camaraderie, and plenty of memorable moments on […...

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology has named its 2026 Mentorship Award recipients, recognizing a group of scientists whose approaches to guidance, collaboration, and community-building s...

MCB Senior Research Fellow Elena Rivas and colleagues have demonstrated that the fundamental rules governing RNA structure can be learned using a remarkably simple computational model—challenging assu...

Katsuhiki Minami, an MCB postdoctoral researcher in Nancy Kleckner’s lab, has been awarded two competitive fellowships to support his research at the intersection of chromosome biology and biophysics....

The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) will host the 2026 Prather Lectures from April 15–17, featuring renowned evolutionary biologist Neil H. Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Distinguis...