Welcome to the Department of Biology
Studying life in all its forms and scales through cutting-edge research and innovative teaching.
Meet the New Center for Botany
Botanical sciences are more important than ever. Learn about the research and outreach our dedicated researchers are investing in.
Giving
Your donations can improve the student experience, advance research, and support efforts across the Department of Biology.
Undergraduate Programs
Explore majors, honors curriculums and certificates.
Graduate Programs
Considering a Master or PhD? Explore these programs.
Research
Researchers in the Department of Biology are in the field and in the lab studying flora, fauna, fungi and more.
Featured News
Welcome to the Department of Biology
From the Chair
July 1, 2026, marks the first day of the Department of Biology in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bringing together botany and integrative biology (formerly zoology), two departments that have been around since the earliest years of our university, is an enormous feat and it also presents several exciting opportunities.
The Department of Biology joins botany and integrative biology’s 11 academic programs, three living and preserved natural history collections and adds an exciting new botanical sciences research hub, the Center for Botany.
Faculty Q&A: Kristina Young researches how human land use reshapes ecosystems
Faculty
As an ecologist, Young studies sustainable land management and methods to halt and reverse land degradation, especially in deserts.
Department of Biology FAQs
Department News
Answers to frequently asked questions about the new Department of Biology.
Hands-on in Hawaii
Learning
Botany students travel to Hawaii with Professor Chris Muir to study plant diversity in the global biodiversity hotspot.
Department Events
October
-
October 1
-
October 15
-
October 22
Biology Colloquium
The Biology Colloquium is a series of lectures hosted by the Department of Biology.
To subscribe to the Biology Colloquium mailing list…
News
-
Faculty Q&A: Kristina Young
Kristina Young joined the UW–Madison faculty in January 2026 as an assistant professor of climate change ecology. As an ecologist, she studies how human land use reshapes ecosystems, with an eye toward…
-
Researchers recognized by Ecological Society of America
A paper by Nathan Kiel (PhD iBio ’24), undergraduate student Eileen Mavencamp (’23), and Professor Monica Turner has been awarded the W.S. Cooper Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Fields of Geobotany…
-
Studying vesicles could reveal insight on the origins of life
PhD candidate Tymofii Sokolskyi and professor David Baum published a new paper that investigates pre-biotic chemical reactions in vesicles to better understand the origins of life. Read more.
-
Biology graduate students receive 2026 Arboretum Research Fellowships
Department of Biology graduate students Hannah Ashe, Jillian Neece and Shaneya Miriyagalla have received Arboretum Research Fellowships. These graduate fellowships support early career scientists doing work that aligns with the Arboretum’s mission…
Media Mentions
-
Agave Death Bloom featured as State Journal Photo of the day
UW-Madison’s Botany Garden and Greenhouse’s Agave victoriae-reginae plant bloomed in early June, catching the attention of the public and the Wisconsin State Journal. The plant, which is about 30 years old, blooms…
-
Professor Damschen talks biodiversity on WPR
Professor Ellen Damschen joins WPR’s The Larry Meiller Show to discuss why biodiversity matters in Wisconsin, and what scientists are doing to conserve plant and animal life. Listen to the episode.
-
Professor Simon Gilroy on Startalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Are plants more aware than we think? Do they have feelings? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O’Reilly, and Harrison Greenbaum explore the intelligence of plants with astrobotanist Simon Gilroy. From venus flytraps to…
-
What’s wrong with ‘The Most Studied Lake in the World’?
The algae bloom-covered shorelines of Lake Mendota indicate serious lake health issues. How do we right the ship? It starts with science. View full article here.