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Microbiologist (from Greek μῑκρος, mīkros, "small"; βίος, bios, "life"; and -λογία, -logia): 'micro' means 'tiny' in reference to objects that typically cannot be seen with the naked eye; 'bio' means life and '-logia' (or '-logy’) is the suffix for study from the classic Greek.

A microbiologist studies tiny (microscopic) life forms and processes or works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists investigate the growth and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae or fungi. Most microbiologists specialize in environmental, food, agricultural or medical aspects of medical or industrial microbiology including: virology (the study of viruses); immunology (the study of mechanisms that fight infections); or bioinformatics (the methods for storing, retrieving, organizing and analyzing biological data). Many microbiologists use biotechnology to advance the understanding of cell reproduction and human disease.

A medical microbiologist studies the characteristics of pathogens, their modes of transmission, mechanisms of infection and growth. Using this information a treatment can be devised. Medical microbiologists often serve as consultants for physicians, providing identification of pathogens and suggesting treatment options. Other tasks may include the identification of potential health risks to the community or monitoring the evolution of potentially virulent or resistant strains of microbes, educating the community and assisting in the design of health practices. They may also assist in preventing or controlling epidemics and outbreaks of disease. Not all medical microbiologists study microbial pathology; some study common, non-pathogenic species to determine whether their properties can be used to develop antibiotics or other treatment methods.Whilst epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in populations, medical microbiology primarily focuses on the presence and growth of microbial infections in individuals, their effects on the human body and the methods of treating those infections.