Alan D. Grossman

Alan D. Grossman is the Praecis Professor of Biology at MIT, affiliated with the Department of Biology in the School of Science. His research focuses on fundamental bacterial processes including DNA replication, gene expression, and horizontal gene transfer mechanisms using Bacillus subtilis as a model organism. His work emphasizes integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) and their role in antibiotic resistance spread, as well as regulation of the replication initiator DnaA.

• Education:
  • PhD in Microbiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison (1984)
  • BS in Biochemistry, Brown University (1979)

Research interests span molecular mechanisms of bacterial adaptation, including ICE lifecycle regulation, stress response pathways, and replication-gene expression interconnections. Recent studies investigate ICE-host interactions and their impact on bacterial survival and evolution.

Awards include membership in the National Academy of Sciences (2014), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008), and receipt of the Eli Lilly Research Award (1997). His lab’s publications explore ICE insertion dynamics, DnaA regulation, and phage defense systems.

His lab is located in Building 68 (Koch Biology Building) with Valerie Corapi as lab assistant. Active grants and collaborations focus on bacterial genetics and horizontal gene transfer.