About our department
The Department of Molecular Biology is an integral part of the MGH Research Institute. Our investigators hold appointments at Harvard Medical School. The majority of our investigators hold appointments in the Department of Genetics (others are appointed in the Departments of Medicine, Systems Biology, and Neurobiology). Our dedicated community of 250 scientists, staff, and administrators support a common scientific mission to advance knowledge and improve human health. Our labs are premier training environments for graduate students and fellows, launching impactful careers in academia, government and industry. We welcome new trainees to join us at the frontiers of fundamental and translational science.
Life at Molbio
We are centrally located in Boston, on the main campus of MGH, near Beacon Hill. We are accessible by the MBTA Red, Blue, Green, and Orange lines. We’re a short distance from Harvard’s Longwood and Cambridge campuses, as well as MIT. Many of us travel regularly between these locations to attend talks and visit collaborators. Explore our seminars and events to learn more about us.
Our history
In 1982, Howard Goodman, the founding Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology, struck a first-of-its-kind agreement with the pharmaceutical company Hoechst AG, to fund the establishment of the Department of Molecular Biology at MGH. Howard’s arrangement was unique in several ways, including the relationship he established with the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, led at the time by Phillip Leder. To this day, we enjoy a close relationship with HMS, and especially with HMS Genetics. We also have strong ties with the HMS Departments of Neurobiology and Systems Biology, and the Broad Institute. With Hoecht’s financial support, Howard was able to recruit Fred Ausubel, Joe Avruch, Josh Kaplan, Bob Kingston, Jeannie Lee, David Moore, Margie Oettinger, Gary Ruvkun, Brian Seed, Jen Sheen, and Jack Szostak. These investigators built vibrant laboratories and catapulted the Department to scientific prominence. Under Howard’s leadership and that of his successors as Chair, Bob Kingston, and now Jeannie Lee, the Department has flourished and grown to its current group of dynamic Principal Investigators. We are proud to have trained distinguished scientists in several fields.
