Welcome to the Department of Biology
UMass Boston's Department of Biology in the College of Science and Mathematics provides a dynamic curriculum, emphasizing hands-on research across various biology levels, fostering critical thinking, and offering opportunities for interdisciplinary graduate research in environmental and molecular/cell biology.
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
- Biology MS
- Biology PhD
- Molecular, Cellular and Organismal Biology Track
- Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology Track
- Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology PhD
- Biotechnology & Biomedical Science MS
- Biotechnology Professional Science MS
- Computational Sciences PhD
- Integrative Biosciences PhD
- Biotechnology Certificate
About Our Department
The Biology Department offers a vibrant curriculum and extensive opportunities for mentoring and hands-on research experiences as a means of developing a deeper understanding of biology at the levels of molecules, cells, organisms, and the ecosystem. We stress the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills both in the classroom and by undergraduate students conducting original research in faculty laboratories. Graduate students can conduct interdisciplinary research alongside several faculty members in the areas of environmental biology and molecular and cell biology.
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Departmental Achievements
- Dr. Catherine McCusker and the Woodhams lab have contributed to a new study on Broad host susceptibility of North American amphibian species to Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans suggests high invasion potential and biodiversity risk.
- Dr. Jarrett Byrnes was recently quoted in an article entitled, “The Most Mysterious Forests on Earth are Underwater” on the general interest website Vox. He discussed his own personal experiences diving in kelp forests.
- Assistant Professor Nichola Hill has received significant media coverage for her research on the global spread of bird flu. The recent expansion of the virus into North America is being studied by the Hill Lab, and their work has been featured by The Guardian, The Boston Globe and Nature News.
- In collaboration with the Shevchenko lab (Max Planck Institute, Dresden, Germany), the Rister lab studied the effects of vitamin A deficiency on the morphology, lipidome, and proteome of the eye.The publication is part of a Special Issue on ‘Invertebrates as Emerging Model Organisms in Nutrition Research.’
- The Woodhams lab and collaborators describe rewilding the amphibian microbiome in preparation for reintroductions from captivity in Panama in an article published in Biological Conservation entitled, "Effects of captivity and rewilding on amphibian skin microbiomes".
- Uzezi Okinedo, a PhD student in Brook Moyers’ lab, has been awarded the American Association of University Women’s International Fellowship for 2022-2023.
Resources
Contact
Alexa MacPherson
Office: W-3-21
Telephone: 617.287.6600
Fax: 617.287.6650