Dr. Thomas Bernhardt

Biography

Thomas G. Bernhardt is a Professor of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that organize cell envelope assembly and promote cell division in bacteria. His laboratory primarily uses Gram-negative rod Escherichia coli as a model organism to explore various aspects of bacterial cell biology. He aims to uncover the programmed genome processes that maintain the shape and size of bacterial cells while investigating the genetic and biochemical pathways involved in peptidoglycan synthesis and remodeling. Current projects in his lab include studying the placement of the Z-ring during bacterial division, which is controlled by the chromosome-associated protein SlmA, and the physiological roles of murein hydrolases in peptidoglycan remodeling. Through a multidisciplinary approach involving genetics, biochemistry, microscopy, and genomics, Bernhardt seeks to further our understanding of bacterial growth and potential therapeutic interventions.

Research Interests

Experience