Jim Miller '77 has research in his veins. He loves it and always has. Today, as a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester, he's a noted figure in the field of immunology. His passion for research brought him to his current position, and his experience at Ithaca College helped him along the way. "The biology department at Ithaca was focused on undergraduate research, and that was perfect for me," he said.

Studying with Ithaca professors Steven Thompson and Louis DeLanney, Miller developed an interest in genetics and immunology. After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle, he went on to teach at the University of Chicago. Today, conducting research and working with graduate students in Rochester, he's as excited as ever about research. In his work exploring the fundamentals of T cells, the cellular mechanisms that detect foreign bodies within organisms, Miller is uncovering the elemental molecular signals that trigger immune response. "A few atoms are enough to get the T cell activated, but how it happens is not entirely understood," he said. "We're trying to understand those basic functions."

The work could lead to major breakthroughs in immunotherapy, including new classes of immunosuppressant drugs. While the prospects are exciting, it's the process itself that motivates Miller. "I love building models and creating hypotheses," he said. "You find something new, throw yesterday's model in the trash, and build a new one. That's really what science is all about."

As a professor, Miller clearly enjoys sharing his passion for science with students. "If you are enthusiastic and you love the material, then your students will eat it up, too," he said.