Research

The Department of Biology offers students opportunities to learn and work with scientists who are making important contributions to knowledge. We emphasize research in areas like cellular and molecular biology, developmental biology, ecology and evolution, human biology, marine biology, neuroscience and behavior, and bioinformatics. 


46
research faculty
$26MM
sponsored research dollars for FY22
71
faculty awards for FY22 

Guide to Finding Undergraduate Research Opportunities

 

Our Research Labs

Barber Lab – Evolution of Host-Microbe Interactions
Barkan Lab – Molecular Genetics of Chloroplasts and Photosynthesis
Bohannan Research Group – Microbial Biodiversity
Bowerman Lab – Cytoskeletal Function/Regulation in C. elegans
Bradshaw-Holzapfel Lab – Genetics of Blood-borne Diseases & Climate Change
Cresko Lab – Evolutionary Genomics
Diez Ecology Lab – Population & Community Ecology
Doe Lab – Drosophila Development
Eisen Lab - ZFIN
Emlet Lab – invertebrate Organisms
Galloway Lab – Trophic Relationships
Garcia Lab – Epigenetics
Grimes Lab – Development & Disease
Guillemin Lab – Host-Microbe Interactions
Hallet Lab – Restoration and Community Ecology
Herman Lab – Synapse Formation in Drosophila
Jaralab – Auditory Cognition & Behavioral Flexibility
Johnson Lab - Hypoxia, Genomics, Gene Regulation
Kern-Ralph Colab – Population Genetics
Libuda Lab – DNA Repair
Lockery Lab - Seeking the Basis of Biological Decision-Making
Louca Lab – Microbial Ecology & Evolution
Maslakova Lab – Evolution of Larval Development
Mazzucato Lab – Cognition and Behavior
McCormick Lab – Systems Neuroscience 
McGuire Lab – Microbial Ecology
Miller Lab – Neural Circuits
Murray Lab – Computational Neuroscience
Niell Lab – Neural Circuits for Vision
Noma Lab – Eukaryotic Genomes
Phillips Lab – Genetic Mutations
Ponisio Lab – Community Ecology and Wild Bee Conservation
Postlethwait Lab – Zebrafish Genetics
Ralph Lab – Population Genetics
Roy Lab – Fungi & Plants
Selker Lab – Epigenetics, Genome
Singh Lab – Evolutionary Genetics
Spero Lab – Bacterial Physiology
Stankunas Lab - Vertebrate Organ Development and Regeneration
Streisfeld Lab – Ecological & Evolutionary Genetics
Sutherland Lab – Plankton
Sylwestrak Lab – Motivated Behavior
Von Dassow Lab – Cell Behavior During Animal Development
Westerfield Lab - Molecular Genetic Basis of Human Diseases
Wood Lab - Biological Oceanography
Young Lab – Marine Invertebrates
Zemper Lab - Gut Science

Interdisciplinary Research Institutes


Chris Doe headshot

"In the Doe Lab, my research team and I investigate central nervous system development. The supportive and interactive colleagues in Biology are always willing to help mentor our students, read grants and papers, and provide feedback on lab projects. "

-Chris Doe, Professor of Biology at the Institute of Neuroscience 




people with fieldwork equipment in estuary

Research Across Disciplines

The University fosters collaboration among students, staff and faculty in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Human Physiology, Physics and Psychology. Four separate research institutes unite faculty with biological interests into shared lab spaces: 

  • Institute of Ecology and Evolution
  • Institute of Molecular Biology
  • Institute of Neuroscience
  • Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

Interdisciplinary Opportunities


MIchael Sidikpramana portrait

Budding Neuroscientists Grow Here

"The Institute of Neuroscience has been a welcoming and supportive environment to develop my skills as a budding neuroscientist interested in the neural basis of behavior and perception. Faculty and students alike nurture imaginative ideas here, which leads to exciting and rigorous science being done in the department. It has been a pleasure being a member of this scholarly, collaborative, and fun community."

–Michael Sidikpramana, PhD candidate in Biology, 2026


the OIMB research team group portrait on the deck of a research boat at sea

Recent Publications

Recent research by Biology faculty includes a variety of topics relating to deep sea ecology, bees, and sea dragon’s genes. Read about the latest research from our department.

Recent Publications


News

May 26, 2023
BIOLOGY - Using data science applied to plant and animal records at natural history museums, UO graduate student Jordan Rodriguez is finding new ways to study the evolution of key proteins.
May 12, 2023
BIOLOGY - On Thursday, May 25, around 450 UO students and recent graduates presenting their projects at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. The annual event showcases student research across all academic fields; 67 majors across all the UO’s schools and colleges will be represented.
April 24, 2023
BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Research led by neuroscientist Shawn Lockery shows worms exposed to a cannabinoid become even more interested in food they'd already prefer, similar to craving potato chips after a few puffs of marijuana — known scientifically as “hedonic feeding” but colloquially called “the munchies.”