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Mission

The Department of Biology's goal is to understand the workings of the living world and to transmit that knowledge to students and the general public. To do this work effectively, we have made a conscious decision to integrate across organismal and organizational boundaries, recognizing that the living world is complex. We believe that we must study the full range of biodiversity, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and even digital organisms. We hire and recruit broadly trained faculty, postdoctoral scientists, and graduate students who inherently take multifaceted approaches to their research. We believe that our commitment to an interdisciplinary research model will catalyze discovery and enable us to answer the difficult questions that have resisted traditional approaches. 

Vision

We are proud of our teaching and research record, but we aren't satisfied. We know we can do more. We are ambitious and driven to be the very best — and we have a vision that matches our ambition. 

We plan to transform biology by creating a new model of research and education that is nimble, entrepreneurial, question-focused and team-oriented. With the new Life Sciences Complex, designed to promote unexpected synergies and enhance the student experience, the Department of Biology will be able to attract and retain the best and brightest innovators. We believe that our vision will lead the way to establishing the premiere biology program in the world, reinventing how university biology research and teaching are done, nationally and globally.