Welcome to the Department of Biology

The Biology Department at the University of Oregon offers expertise and research opportunities in a wide range of disciplines including Neuroscience, Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology, Evolution, Ecology, and Marine Biology. Our undergraduate curriculum provides an introductory overview into each of these areas and provides the opportunity for advanced training and specialization in particular areas through course work and research experience.

The research activities of the department are centered in four separate research institutes, found in the menu above. These Institutes bring faculty from Biology and other departments with biological interests into contiguous lab space. Interested graduate applicants should view each Institute's web site for an overview of the kind of research conducted, and to contact particular faculty. The Life Sciences web page highlights the interdepartmental connections among Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Human Physiology.

Evolution of increased complexity
in a molecular machine

Joe Thornton, a biologist at the University of Oregon, and his colleagues trace the molecular history of life by resurrecting proteins from hundreds of millions of years ago and playing around with them to figure out how they work.

Nature Magazine article

Discover Magazine article

Thornton Lab

News archives

Welcome to the Department of Biology

Evolution of increased complexity in a molecular machine

Evolution of increased complexity
in a molecular machine