History of the Department of Microbiology and Ecology

The Department of Microbiology and Ecology of the University of Valencia was established in early 1987 after the merging of the three former Departments of Microbiology of the faculties of Biology, Pharmacy and Medicine. The former Department of Ecology of the Faculty of Biological Sciences joined them as well because in those years it did not reach the required number of doctors and because some of its professors shared research with other professors from Microbiology of Biological Sciences. Dr. Federico Uruburu Fernández was appointed provisionally as the Director, and Dr. Antonio Sanz Brau as the Secretary.

During several meetings of its members the Internal Regulations of the Department were drafted, which were provisionally approved by the University of Valencia on 28 July, 1987 and officially on 27 October 1988. Those regulations state that the Department is based in the Faculty of Biological Sciences because that is where most of its teaching load is. In its beginnings there were two Departmental Sections in the faculties because of the geographical distance (even though the Area of Pharmacy became a Teaching Unit after the Faculty moved to Burjassot Campus), and two teaching units in the Faculty of Biological Sciences.

Its governing bodies are the Department Council, the Permanent Board and three advisory committees (Economic, Education and Research). The Director of the Department was elected following the regulations and Dr. Federico Uruburu Fernández was confirmed in office, while Dr. Antonio Sanz Brau remained the Secretary. When the period of six years in office finished, Dr. José Pedro Martínez García was elected as the new Director. Six years later, Dr. Federico Uruburu Fernández was elected Director once again. The secretaries were Dr. Juan José Camarena Miñana and Dr. David Navarro Ortega, respectively. On the occasion of the death of Prof. Uruburu, Dr. M. Rosa Miracle was chosen as the new Director of the Department, while Dr. Juan José Camarena was appointed. Subsequently, Dr. Daniel Gozalbo Flor and Dr. Rafael Borrás Salvador occupied the posts of director, and Dr. Elena Alcaide Moreno and Vicente Llopis Peiró were in charge of the Secretary’s Office of the Department. Currently, the Department Director is Dr. Carlos Muñoz Collado and the secretary is Juan Miguel Soria García.  

The Department teaches in the degrees of Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Gastronomic Sciences, Food Science and Technology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Dentistry, Optics and Optometry, Podiatry, as well as in the double degree in Pharmacy-Human Nutrition and Dietetics and in the degree in Telematics Engineering. In the Department, there are currently lines of research related to various aspects of the Knowledge Areas of Microbiology and Ecology.