Rate My Professor Michael Franklin

Michael Franklin is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology at Montana State University, where he also holds an appointment in Biotechnology. He received his B.S. from the University of Georgia in 1984, M.S. from the University of Georgia in 1986, and Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1991. After completing his doctorate, Franklin served as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Tennessee and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1991 to 1996. He joined Montana State University in 1996 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002, and to full Professor in 2014. During his tenure, he acted as Interim Department Head from 2008 to 2009. Franklin is an affiliated faculty member of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University.

Franklin's research specializations encompass microbial genetics, gene expression, alginate biosynthesis, microbial physiology, biochemistry, biofilm antibiotic resistance, and bacterial dormancy, with a primary focus on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. His seminal contributions to the field include highly cited publications such as "Physiological heterogeneity in biofilms" (2008), "Contributions of Antibiotic Penetration, Oxygen Limitation, and Low Metabolic Activity to Tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms to Ciprofloxacin and Tobramycin" (2003), "Role of Antibiotic Penetration Limitation in Klebsiella pneumoniae Biofilm Resistance to Ampicillin and Ciprofloxacin" (2000), "Biosynthesis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Extracellular Polysaccharides, Alginate, Pel, and Psl" (2011), and "Role of Alginate and Its O-Acetylation in Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Microcolonies and Biofilms" (2001). Franklin serves on the editorial board of the journal Biofouling. His work has profoundly influenced the understanding of biofilm structure, function, and persistence mechanisms in microbial communities.