Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware! This is an exciting time to pursue a career in the life sciences; our program offers excellent educational and research opportunities toward achieving your goals.
We study biology using state-of-the-art molecular, cellular and genomic level approaches, which advance fundamental knowledge of living processes, and provide the foundation to develop therapeutic interventions for human diseases and improve the overall well-being of humans and their environment. Using interdisciplinary tools, faculty and students study a broad range of biological systems including embryonic development and congenital defects, eye diseases, musculoskeletal and cardiac physiology, neuroscience and aging, microbiology and infectious disease, microbiome and host-pathogen interaction, as well as science education and pedagogy. Please explore our faculty profiles to learn more about our research and scholarship and teaching interests.
Our faculty and students engage in collaborative interdisciplinary research with chemists, data scientists, engineers, physicists, translational medical research with physician scientists, and initiatives with educators in Delaware, nationally and globally. Faculty research programs are well-funded (over ~$5M annually) by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, private foundations and industry partners, and are supported by state-of-the-art UD facilities which include the BioImaging Center, Flow Cytometry/FACS, Sequencing and Genotyping, Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Brain and Biomedical Imaging, and Musculoskeletal Multiscale Research Assessments.
We offer robust undergraduate and graduate programs, being home to about 850 undergraduate majors, 200 minors, and about 100 graduate students. Undergraduates select from five majors – Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biology, a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology, a BS with a concentration in cell, molecular biology and genetics, a BS with a concentration in pharmaceutical sciences, and a BA in Biological Sciences Education. Numerous training opportunities are available, including UD study abroad programs and our popular Biology undergraduate research program where students work directly in our faculty's research laboratories, contributing to original research publications and attending scientific conferences. For graduate education, we offer Professional Masters, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Our graduate students are fully supported, including a tuition waiver, by teaching or research assistantships throughout their training.
Our graduates are successfully employed in a variety of careers, including but not limited to medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, optometry and graduate research, as well as in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, business, science and public policy, teaching and higher education.
The University of Delaware has made multi-million dollar investments in education and research, including the Interdisciplinary Science Learning Laboratories for undergraduates, and the future Building X for the Departments of Biological Sciences, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Physics & Astronomy, scheduled to open in 2024, providing our students with state-of-the art teaching and research facilities along with a friendly and enthusiastic environment for learning and science. This infrastructure, along with our award-winning, world-class faculty and laboratory staff ensures excellence both in classroom instruction and hands-on investigative laboratory-based instruction.
We are passionate about communicating our excitement and understanding of science to the broader community. Our faculty and students engage with the local community through outreach activities at elementary and middle schools, and the Delaware Children's Museum. We partner with other educational institutions in Delaware to provide undergraduates with authentic research experiences in our faculty's research laboratories, and participate in community-based health fairs and education in underrepresented minority communities in Delaware, in the region, and nationally.
If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to contact us directly (bio-questions@udel.edu or 302-831-6977) or schedule a campus visit. University of Delaware's beautiful campus is located in the small college town of Newark, DE, within a two-hour drive of many historic cities and beautiful beaches.
We welcome motivated, creative and diverse individuals to our undergraduate and graduate education and research programs. We are committed to providing you with an exceptional educational and research environment to launch your career in the life sciences.
I look forward to your joining us!
Velia M. Fowler, Ph.D. Professor and Chair
