Beth Lazazzera

Beth Lazazzera is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) at UCLA and currently serves as Chair of the Life Sciences Core Curriculum Program. She joined UCLA in 1999 and holds academic roles including past Vice Chair of Undergraduate Education in MIMG and past-Chair of the Academic Senate Undergraduate Council. She teaches courses such as LS7A (Cell and Molecular Biology) and has led workshops at the Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences (CEILS).

Education: B.S. Microbiology (University of Massachusetts, 1989), Ph.D. Bacteriology (University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995), Postdoctoral Fellowship at MIT (1999).

Research focuses on bacterial social behavior, biofilm formation mechanisms, and translational quality control pathways. Key areas include peptide signaling in Bacillus subtilis, biofilm disruption strategies for medical devices, and antibiotic resistance development linked to mistranslation errors. Current collaborations aim to combat biofilm-associated infections.

Grants include NSF and NIH funding for studies on microbial translation quality control and biofilm disruption. Notable awards include NIH Predoctoral Fellowship and Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Foundation support.

Labs/Teams: Active in bacterial genetics and biofilm research, collaborating with institutions like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.