Department of Biology: Indiana University Bloomington

See our undergraduate degree options

We offer several B.A. and B.S. degrees in the fields of Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, and Molecular Life Sciences.

Pursue your graduate degree

Our graduate students conduct cutting-edge research and receive specialized training in many key research areas.

IU Biology Department celebrates Class of 2026 on May 9

On Saturday morning, May 9, the Indiana University Bloomington Biology Department will host two events for the Class of 2026 undergraduate graduation recognition.

Five biology faculty honored for teaching excellence

Congratulations to Pranav Danthi, Greg Demas, Laura Mojonnier, Tuli Mukhopadhyay and Karen Whitworth, who have each been awarded for their instructional skills and dedication to their students.

Two IU biology faculty members named 2025 AAAS Fellows

Biology Professors Rich Hardy and Rich Phillips have been named 2025 AAAS Fellows. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, has named seven Indiana University faculty members to its 2025 fellows’ class, a lifetime honor within the scientific community.

IU biologist awarded NIH MIRA grant to study development and connectivity of circadian clock neurons

Indiana University biologist Maria P. Fernandez has been awarded a five-year Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study how circadian clock neuron networks develop and form functional connections.

IU biologist’s landmark research expands understanding of evolution and natural selection

The study, co-authored by Michael Wade, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, addresses a stubborn misconception that has lingered in the field, namely, that natural selection acts almost exclusively on individual organisms competing for survival and reproduction.

Biology Professor Jay Lennon named IU Distinguished Professor

Indiana University has named six faculty members – including Biology Professor Jay Lennon – as Distinguished Professors, the most prestigious appointment offered to honor faculty whose outstanding scholarship, artistic or literary distinction, or other achievements have won significant recognition by peers.

IU scientists reveal distinct sleep states, opening new path in sleep genetics

A new study led by Orie Shafer, Indiana University biology professor and a Linda and Jack Gill Chair at the Gill Institute for Neuroscience, with IU postdoctoral fellow Abhilash Lakshman, Ph.D., and IU undergraduate student Reed Evans, is reshaping how scientists study sleep by revealing that fruit flies experience multiple distinct sleep states rather than a unitary state.

IU researchers awarded funding to commercialize their work

Assistant Professor of Biology Cristina Landeta was awarded $25,000 from the Lawrence Blatt Endowed Fund for Translational Research. Landeta is developing new antibacterial therapies for disarming disease-causing bacteria. Her team is creating stronger inhibitors that block the natural resistance to antibiotics, presenting an alternative approach to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

IU biologist leads NIH-funded study on bacterial biofilm regulation

Department of Biology Professor Clay Fuqua and his research team have been funded for a four-year project via an R01 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. This project focuses on the role of enigmatic metabolites called pterins that are common to all living systems.

‘Coral corral’ and award-winning startup help IU researchers attack antibiotic resistance

Indiana University's “coral corral” is maintained by associate professor of biology Julia van Kessel. She and her startup cofounder, teaching professor of chemistry Laura Brown, use the lab to teach IU students and the public about the challenges facing coral worldwide. Their innovative approach to student research fights aquatic pathogens posing threats to marine and human health.

A range of research strengths

Our faculty, research scientists, and graduate and undergraduate students are exploring everything from ecosystems to microbiology and developmental biology; evolution to cell biology; molecular biology to systems biology, bioinformatics, and genomics. Together, we explore the breadth of biological questions and experimental systems.

View our research

Expertise + scientific approach

Our faculty members are world-class researchers and teachers who share an excitement for the life sciences. The multiplicity of expertise and scientific approach, combined with our exceptional collegial culture, is what makes IU Biology stand out and has made IU a premiere place for performing research.

Meet our faculty

You are welcome here

The IU Department of Biology is a community of academic scientists, teachers, students, and staff from a wide range of cultures, nationalities, races, and social backgrounds. We are committed to maintaining a culture of respect and kindness and to supporting each other in our academic and professional pursuits.

Department of Biology

World-class teaching + research

See our undergraduate degree options

Pursue your graduate degree

IU Biology Department celebrates Class of 2026 on May 9

Five biology faculty honored for teaching excellence

Two IU biology faculty members named 2025 AAAS Fellows

IU biologist awarded NIH MIRA grant to study development and connectivity of circadian clock neurons

IU biologist’s landmark research expands understanding of evolution and natural selection

Biology Professor Jay Lennon named IU Distinguished Professor

IU scientists reveal distinct sleep states, opening new path in sleep genetics

IU researchers awarded funding to commercialize their work

IU biologist leads NIH-funded study on bacterial biofilm regulation

‘Coral corral’ and award-winning startup help IU researchers attack antibiotic resistance

A range of research strengths

Expertise + scientific approach

You are welcome here

Ready to take the next step?

Incoming freshmen

Current IU students

Prospective graduate students

The College of Arts & Sciences

World-class teaching + research

See our undergraduate degree options

Pursue your graduate degree

IU Biology Department celebrates Class of 2026 on May 9

Five biology faculty honored for teaching excellence

Two IU biology faculty members named 2025 AAAS Fellows

IU biologist awarded NIH MIRA grant to study development and connectivity of circadian clock neurons

IU biologist’s landmark research expands understanding of evolution and natural selection

Biology Professor Jay Lennon named IU Distinguished Professor

IU scientists reveal distinct sleep states, opening new path in sleep genetics

IU researchers awarded funding to commercialize their work

IU biologist leads NIH-funded study on bacterial biofilm regulation

‘Coral corral’ and award-winning startup help IU researchers attack antibiotic resistance

A range of research strengths

Expertise + scientific approach

You are welcome here

Ready to take the next step?

Incoming freshmen

Current IU students

Prospective graduate students

Department of Biology social media channels

The College of Arts & Sciences