Department of Microbiology of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv was founded in 1936 by Napoleon Honsiorovsky.

Department teaches bachelors by the specialities 091–”Biology” and 101–”Ecology” at the full-time and correspondence forms of study, masters by the educational-professional programs “Microbiology” at the full-time form of study and “Laboratory Diagnostics Biological Systems” at the correspondence form.

Teachers at the Department pay significant attention to the study of theoretical bases and methods of:

• physiology and biochemistry of microorganisms;
• diversity of microorganisms;
• ecology of microorganisms;
• exoelectrogenesis by prokaryotes;
• bacteriological analysis;
• biological bases of infectious processes;
• biotechnology;
• methods of teaching the biology.

Microbiological Club is working at the Department, which join the members of scientific society of students, as well as the Microbiological Club of the Little Academy of Science.

The main directions of the scientific work of the Department are:

• Monitoring of the content of xenobiotics using microorganisms.
• Study of the adaptations of microorganisms that transform sulfur copmounds in nature, to the influence of chemical pollutants as the stress factors.
• Development of the methods of purification of the environment from the pollutants of organic and inorganic matter, using microorganisms.
• Study of the processes of exoelectrogenesis by prokaryotes and work with the microbial fuel cells.
• Research of the microbiota of coal mine spoil heaps and waters of ecologically dangerous areas.
• Study of the physiological and biochemical properties of microorganisms, isolated from different substrates of Antarctica.

In 2013–2017 Department took part in Tempus project “Establishment of Multidisciplinary Innovative Centres for the Development of Virtual Laboratories in Biology and Medicine”.

Interdisciplinary Educational Laboratory of Virtual Methods in Biology functions at the Department. Interfaculty Educational Laboratory of Instrumental Methods of Research works in the rooms of the Department.

Former students of the Department work in the scientific institutions, at the enterprizes of microbiological type, diagnostic laboratories.