The Department of Biology within the School of Arts and Sciences is internationally recognized for the strengths of its research and educational programs. A particular asset of the department is its integrated nature, which spans scales and disciplines. Research areas in the department include ecology and evolution, plant sciences, molecular and cellular biology, genomics, quantitative biology, and neuroscience. We value interdisciplinary collaboration and collegiality, and strive to integrate biology across scales, from molecules to social assemblies; across technologies, from nanoengineering to robotic vision; and across approaches, from laboratory experiments to data modeling; to transcend the traditional boundaries of biological studies.
We are located on the south end of UPenn’s campus in the Life Sciences Quad, which is comprised of Carolyn Lynch Labs, Goddard Labs, the historic Leidy Labs, and the new Levin Building. These buildings all surround the scenic and iconic BioPond and James G. Kaskey Memorial Park. We welcome all who are interested in biology to connect with us – whether it’s by taking a stroll through Kaskey Park, enrolling in a biology course at Penn, attending a seminar, or engaging with our professional development sessions for secondary school biology teachers. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our undergraduate and graduate opportunities, the community we build within our department, and our collaborations across multiple schools on our West Philadelphia campus. We are excited to connect with you so that together we can investigate life in the context of an ever-changing natural world.