The Department of Biological Sciences is currently home to 20 tenure-track faculty members and a strong cohort of term, adjunct and affiliate faculty members.  Our faculty has diverse research programs and strengths in ecology, evolutionary biology, cell and developmental biology, physiological ecology of plants and animals, genetics, and molecular biology. The research of many departmental faculty members is directed at questions related to life in the north, including physiological adaptations to cold, dark, and extreme environments, and the complex dynamics of ecosystem processes. Biomedical research is an important strength, and many of the faculty participate in the NIH funded INBRE program.

Our department is not just for researchers. We play a critical role in the education of life science and health majors from across the campus, and the department provides B.A., B.S., and honors program options for over 700 student majors. A productive graduate program includes over 30 M.S. and Ph.D. students. We are known for our commitment to provide undergraduate majors with maximum opportunities in faculty-directed field and lab research, ranging from molecular and cell-based studies to conservation, ecology, animal physiology and toxicology research.  Faculty and students participate in field research in the polar regions and beyond.