We study bacterial growth and shape, using the tools of modern microscopy, computation, molecular biology and mathematics to tackle fundamental questions in bacterial biology with relevance for human health.
The Barber lab is now open, and we are always looking for driven, new scientists. If the fundamentals of bacterial growth and form sound like you, get in touch! Please send all inquiries to barber.527@osu.edu.
Updates
- 2026-06-09 Interested in how bacteria maintain rod shape? This research briefing, out today in Nature Microbiology, quickly and accessibly explains the core findings of our recent paper on how a non-structural cell wall component allows Bacillus subtilis to keep its shape. Check it out for free here: Wall teichoic acids plug nanopores in Bacillus subtilis cell walls and regulate peptidoglycan synthesis
- 2026-05-26 A new publication from Felix’s postdoc work is out in Nature Microbiology! Check it out here: Wall teichoic acids regulate peptidoglycan synthesis to maintain rod shape in Bacillus subtilis
- 2026-05-15 Lab retreat saw us exploring Highbanks Metro Park and enjoying some tasty Ramen. Not pictured: Alli demolishing us all in minigolf!
- 2026-05-04 Congratulations to Blair Banker, whose proposal on PbpC function in the divisome was just selected for an OSU Honors undergraduate research scholarship!
- 2026-03-27 Vini Subramanian, a biophysics graduate student, has joined the lab! Welcome, Vini!
Code
Our code is publicly available at GitHub.
Contact
- office Riffe R905, 496 W 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
