The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Memphis has over 30 faculty with research interests that integrate molecular, cellular, and developmental biology with ecology, evolution, and behavior.

The department includes two endowed Chairs of Excellence, in molecular biology and in functional genomics, and features facilities well-equipped for contemporary research in laboratory and field biology, as well as an interdisciplinary field of study in bioinformatics.

Our Ecological Research Center, Meeman Biological Field Station, Feinstone Center for Genomic Research, Integrated Microscopy Center and Bioinformatics Program  provide for modern and competitive educational and research opportunities for over 400 undergraduate majors and more than 50 M.S, and Ph.D. students.

Our mission is to create life long learners; leaders in research, education and service. Our department is characterized by the breadth and depth of our research and training programs and by our collective intellectual curiosity, which drives us to employ varied approaches in exploring and understanding all levels of biological organization, from the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels to the ecosystem, landscape, and global levels. We combine experimental, comparative, descriptive, and theoretical approaches to integrate, synthesize, and communicate newly acquired knowledge.

Research and scholarship provide the structure for teaching and learning in our undergraduate and graduate programs as we strive to attract the best students to our graduate program and to provide Ph.D. students with opportunities to excel in research and teaching.

• We are committed to improving equal access to science education and to increasing the scientific literacy of our culture.
• We consequently prepare undergraduate and graduate students for careers in the medical profession, allied health, environmental science, research, and teaching.

Our goal in science research, teaching, and service is to expand the current limits of biological knowledge and to promote its successful use in local, national, and international communities.