Department of Biology

Vertical gardening in a mega glasshouse for fast growing tomatoes and sweet pepper.

If you’re interested in life and the natural world, biology is for you. Whether you’re curious about molecules and cells, or organisms and ecosystems, you’ll work with award-winning faculty as you seek to answer significant questions in biological sciences.

The Department of Biology has flexible undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Top-rated biology faculty from around the globe will lead and guide you as you explore and refine your research interests through labs and field work. Faculty members also serve as primary advisors to both undergraduate and graduate students.

When you major in biology, you’ll establish a general background in the discipline through a series of first-year and sophomore-level core courses that preview the major sub-disciplines of biology. This introductory program is followed by courses that allow you to focus on more advanced material.

Biology faculty have research interests that span the breadth of modern biology, from molecules to ecosystems and are committed to research training of students at all levels. If you’re considering graduate work in the biological sciences, many opportunities for undergraduate research are available with our dynamic and award-winning faculty, as well as participation in the annual Undergraduate Research Conference.

Our 230,000 sq. ft. Life Sciences Complex has excellent facilities to help you prepare for a wide range of opportunities. The confocal microscope and five climate-controlled greenhouses provide valuable tools for research and discovery, helping both faculty and students stay on the cusp of leading developments in the field of biology.

Take biology out into the world.

Many of our undergraduate students go on to pursue careers in academia, industry, governmental agencies and a wide variety of professional settings. Students are also well prepared for medical, dental, or veterinary schools, or to enter the many specialized graduate programs in the biological sciences.

Recent graduate students have found employment in universities and colleges as postdoctoral researchers, eventually going on to faculty positions at a variety of institutions. Other graduates have found employment in industry, in medical settings, and in environmental education, among other fields.

Whatever your interests, your biology degree can take you far. To learn more about all your options, talk to your advisor.

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Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Developmental Biology

Evolution and Animal Behavior

Genetics, Genomics and Epigenetics

Neuroscience

Ecology and Plant Biology

Biology Journal Articles

McCullough, E.L., Verdeflor, L., Weinsztok, A., Wiles, J.R., and Dorus, S., "Exploratory Activities for Understanding Evolutionary Relationships Depicted by Phylogenetic Trees: United but Diverse", The American Biology Teacher, (2020) 82 (5): 333-337. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2020.82.5.333

Dhar, N., Caruana, J., Erdem, I., Subbarao, K. V., Klosterman, S. J., and Raina, R. (2020) The Arabidopsis SENESCENCE ASSOCIATED GENE 13 regulates dark-induced senescence and plays contrasting roles in the defense against bacterial and fungal pathogens. MPMI https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-11-19-0329-R.

Rathbun, L.I., Colicino, E.G., Manikas, J. et al. Cytokinetic bridge triggers de novo lumen formation in vivo. Nat Commun 11, 1269 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15002-8

Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants, Susan E. Parks and 20 others, Science, 13 Dec 2019, Vol 366, Issue 6471, pp. 1367-1372, DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9044