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 - Neural Development
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
Jaramillo lab – Auditory Cognition & Behavioral Flexibility
Johnson Lab - Hypoxia, Genomics, Gene Regulation
Kern lab – Population Genetics
Libuda Lab – DNA Repair
Lockery Lab - Biological Basis of Decision-Making
Louca Lab – Microbial Ecology & Evolution
Maslakova Lab – Evolution of Larval Development
Mazzucato Lab – Cognition and Behavior
McCormick Lab – Systems Neuroscience 
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

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Associate Professor Lauren Hallett is one of three faculty members to receive a Fulbright US Scholar Program award. Hallett will use her Fulbright award to further her research on restoration ecology in Australia and Spain.
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.
BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Associate Professor Lauren Hallett and other members of her lab collect data for the Nutrient Network, a web of 130 sites around the world that monitor how nutrient addition affects biodiversity loss. The resulting data will provide a foundation for research that helps predict and reduce this loss.