Why Iowa?

Our students aren’t passive learners. At Iowa, you’ll go inside the lab and contribute to world-renowned research working alongside faculty experts to explore the diverse realms of the biological sciences.

Undergraduate programs

iBio Graduate Program

Faculty

Why study here?

Whether you aspire to be a research scientist, professor, physician, forensic scientist, biotechnologist, public health professional, natural resource expert, science communicator, or so much more — Iowa’s Department of Biology will prepare you to take your next step through courses, experiential learning, and engagement in research.

Research

Bin Z. He portrait

Stresses strengthen disease-causing yeast

Biologists at the University of Iowa have found that C. glabrata, after being exposed to a mild stress, becomes more resistant to hydrogen peroxide, a chemical weapon employed by the human immune system to eliminate infecting microbes. The biologists further learned that this exposure-to-resistance escalation in C. glabrata does not appear in its close relative, the benign Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer’s or baker’s yeast.

Portrait of John Manak

Biologists show how brain’s immune system response worsens epilepsy

In a new study, the researchers lay out a chain of events that can cause seizures—the most common manifestation of epilepsy—to worsen. The sequence begins when oxidative stress in the body causes the brain’s immune system to react. That activation by the brain’s resident immune cells (called glia) triggers more severe seizures.

Brian Berger working in a lab

Iowa antibody bank stands ready to fight the next pandemic

On the corner of Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue, just a block east from the Old Capitol, thousands of possible clues toward deciphering human diseases are stored in liquid nitrogen. Floating in glass tubes, the hybridomas—cell lines used to create antibodies, the foundational pieces of human and animal immunity—hold clues to how our brains work and our muscles develop. They point the way to treatments for emerging viruses that have yet to be named. They could even help combat a future pandemic.

News and announcements

Biology Newsletter Now Available

Wednesday, November 6, 2024
The Department of Biology's most recent newsletter is now available.

Department of Biology accepting applications for Instructional Track Faculty position

Thursday, October 10, 2024
The Department of Biology is inviting applications for an instructional track faculty position (non-tenure track) beginning August 2025. This position will primarily contribute to administration and instruction in the neurobiology courses.

Biology Professor of Instruction and ISA Director Receives Distinguished Professor of Instruction Award

Friday, September 27, 2024
Lori Adams, Professor of Instruction in the Department of Biology and Director of the Iowa Sciences Academy, received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Distinguished Professor of Instruction Award.
biology students on site

$6M

Faculty in the Department of Biology received more than $6 million in grant funding in 2023.

students walking down hallway in Biology building

55 %

of undergraduate students participated in research outside of regular course assignments.

(2017 data)

student at a microscope

1,040

More than 1,000 students are enrolled as biology undergraduate majors at Iowa.

Events

Department of Biology First-Gen Celebration promotional image

Department of Biology First-Gen Celebration

Friday, November 8, 2024 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Biology Building East
The Department of Biology proudly supports the National First-Generation College Celebration. Stop by the BBE Lobby on Tuesday, Nov. 5 or Friday, Nov. 8 between 2 and 4 p.m. for a free cookie!
Biology Seminar: "The genomic and metabolic making of yeast biodiversity" promotional image

Biology Seminar: "The genomic and metabolic making of yeast biodiversity"

Friday, November 8, 2024 3:30pm
Biology Building East
Chris Todd Hittinger, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Director of the J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be giving a seminar at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, in Kollros Auditorium (Room 101), Biology Building East.

Mini-Symposium on Nuclear Structure and Function: Chromosomes, Chromatin Protein and the Nuclear Lamina

Thursday, November 21, 2024 10:30am to 5:30pm
Medical Education Research Facility
Featuring speakers: "Pairing: from Pam to super-resolution" Ting Wu, PhD, Harvard Medical School "How common is meiotic drive?" Daniel Barbash, PhD, Cornell University "Nuclear lamins and their partners in mitosis, tissue-specific disease, addiction, and beyond" Katherine Wilson, PhD, Johns Hopkins University "The role of the nuclear envelope and NEMP in metazoan fertility and mechanotransduction" Helen McNeill, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis A reception will follow in...
Art & Write Night promotional image

Art & Write Night

Friday, December 6, 2024 6:00pm to 8:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces. Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists. Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session...
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Seminars

Biology Seminar: "The genomic and metabolic making of yeast biodiversity" promotional image

Biology Seminar: "The genomic and metabolic making of yeast biodiversity"

Friday, November 8, 2024 3:30pm
Biology Building East
Chris Todd Hittinger, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Director of the J.F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be giving a seminar at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, in Kollros Auditorium (Room 101), Biology Building East.

Mini-Symposium on Nuclear Structure and Function: Chromosomes, Chromatin Protein and the Nuclear Lamina

Thursday, November 21, 2024 10:30am to 5:30pm
Medical Education Research Facility
Featuring speakers: "Pairing: from Pam to super-resolution" Ting Wu, PhD, Harvard Medical School "How common is meiotic drive?" Daniel Barbash, PhD, Cornell University "Nuclear lamins and their partners in mitosis, tissue-specific disease, addiction, and beyond" Katherine Wilson, PhD, Johns Hopkins University "The role of the nuclear envelope and NEMP in metazoan fertility and mechanotransduction" Helen McNeill, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis A reception will follow in...