Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

 

Study on the Oregon Coast

At the University of Oregon’s marine lab, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, we combine world-class research in marine sciences with immersive undergraduate and graduate education and community engagement.

Students and teacher conducting research on marine life

Get a Degree in Marine Biology

The University of Oregon offers a rigorous undergraduate major in Marine Biology, as well as master’s and doctorate programs. Our marine biology majors spend a full academic year studying at OIMB.

Look How Far We’ve Come

A hundred years ago, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology began as a humble camp on the coast. Today, watch as students in Dr. Rowan McLachlan’s Biological Oceanography class conduct a research cruise on the Megalopa, where they use a range of oceanographic equipment to sample seawater salinity, chlorophyll and phosphate concentration, zooplankton density, and more.

Group of researchers standing together in front of a research vessel

Engage in Marine Research

OIMB faculty and graduate students conduct world-renowned research in marine science. Students have numerous opportunities to conduct research in OIMB faculty’s labs, internships with local partners and our NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program.

Lounge room filled with displays of marine life

Explore Marine Life

As the public outreach center of OIMB, the Charleston Marine Life Center highlights the diversity of marine life off Oregon’s coast and university research. The center offers public hours and both K-12 and public programming.

Cliffs and ocean with rocks in the foreground

Study Oregon Coast Habitats

OIMB is located in one of the most spectacular places anywhere to study marine organisms and ecosystems. From rocky intertidal and the Coos Bay Estuary to kelp forests and the deep-sea, OIMB has access to it all.

Oregon Institute of Marine Biology News and Events

BIOLOGY - Marine biologist Alan Shanks has a simple trap that allows him to predict the amount of Dungeness crab will be available for fisherfolk. For the past 25 years, Shanks has compared the yields of the winter commercial catch to the baby crabs his water-jug trap collects each summer. He’s found that the number of baby crabs that arrive on the coast can be used to estimate the size of the state’s commercial harvest of adult Dungeness crab years in the future, with a 12 percent margin of error.
BIOLOGY - New in 2025, the Coastal Quarter program allows undergraduates from all majors to spend winter term living at the coast and taking classes in marine biology, environmental studies, anthropology and science communication. Out of the nine students who participated this year, five are majoring in either environmental sciences or environmental studies; four are marine biology majors; and one is a sports journalism major.
OIMB, BIOLOGY - At the Charleston Marine Life Center a growing collection of unique organisms serve as underwater ambassadors between UO researchers, local community partners, and the public. It’s a place where UO scientists share their discoveries with the public and community members rally around the preservation of local marine life.

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What is Research? (2026)
Apr24
What is Research? (2026) Apr 24 UO Portland
College of Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts Summit
Apr24
College of Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts Summit Apr 24 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
"Beyond Extraction" Symposium and Film Screenings (Day 2)
Apr24
"Beyond Extraction" Symposium and Film Screenings (Day 2) Apr 24 Knight Library
ArcGIS Pro and the Makerspace: Laser-Cut Map Notebook
Apr24
ArcGIS Pro and the Makerspace: Laser-Cut Map Notebook Apr 24 Knight Library
"Radium Girls"
Apr24
"Radium Girls" Apr 24 Miller Theatre Complex
What is Research? (2026)
Apr25
What is Research? (2026) Apr 25 UO Portland
"Radium Girls"
Apr25
"Radium Girls" Apr 25 Miller Theatre Complex
"Radium Girls"
Apr26
"Radium Girls" Apr 26 Miller Theatre Complex
Jeremiah Public Symposium: Foodways in Early East Asia
Apr28
Jeremiah Public Symposium: Foodways in Early East Asia Apr 28 Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Dept. of History Seminar Series: “If the child dies, it will cost my life too, that cannot be avoided.” Suicide by Proxy, Social Discipline and the Psyche in Early Modern Germany
Apr28
Dept. of History Seminar Series: “If the child dies, it will cost my life too, that cannot be avoided.” Suicide by Proxy, Social Discipline and the Psyche in Early Modern Germany Apr 28 McKenzie Hall

All events »

Land Acknowledgement

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology is located on the traditional lands of the Miluk Coos people who have managed these lands for abundance since time immemorial. We recognize the continued connection of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Coquille (ko-KWELL) Indian Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians to these lands and waters and the Tribes’ ongoing stewardship of this important place.