Michael Liapin in Scott Juntti's lab

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

Biological Sciences Graduate Program

An interdepartmental Ph.D. program that offers unparalleled opportunities for research and discovery across contemporary life sciences disciplines.

Concentration Areas

cicada

Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics (BEES)

e2 front surf

Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, & Genomics (CBBG)

confocal image of a disease-resistant protein

Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)

aniline blue stained arabidopsis flower

Physiological Systems (PSYS)

Apply to BISI

Are you interested in using cutting-edge technologies to explore the life sciences? The Biological Sciences Ph.D. program might be the place for you! From the plant sciences to molecular genetics and everything in between, you’ll cultivate skills that will take you far beyond the classroom. 

The Fall 2027 application is open! 

Join us for BISI's Virtual Open House!

BISI will be hosting two virtual open houses this fall! Learn more about the graduate application, application fee waivers, and the Biological Sciences Graduate Program, and get your questions answered before our December 1 application deadline.

Event 1: Thursday, September 17, 11:00am-12:30pm: REGISTER HERE

Event 2: Wednesday, October 7, 1:30pm-3:00pm: REGISTER HERE

News

Reborn to Be Wild

Reborn to Be Wild

August 27, 2026
UMD Scientist Awarded NIH Grant to Advance Research on Rare Form of Muscular Dystrophy

UMD Scientist Awarded NIH Grant to Advance Research on Rare Form of Muscular Dystrophy

July 14, 2026
Study Reveals How Mating Competition, Age and Sex Shape Immune Systems in Wild Bats

Study Reveals How Mating Competition, Age and Sex Shape Immune Systems in Wild Bats

July 1, 2026
The Art of Science Storytelling

The Art of Science Storytelling

June 16, 2026

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Meet our Graduate Students

Portrait of Alon Katz

Alon Katz

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Nakia Fallen

Nakia Fallen

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yi Chen

Yi Chen

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Connor Young

Connor Young

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Parker Murphy

Parker Murphy

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Liz Hunter

Liz Hunter

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yaal Dryer

Yaal Dryer

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Kari-Ann Takano

Kari-Ann Takano

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yuan Gao

Yuan Gao

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Stephen Stanio

Stephen Stanio

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Catherine Harvey

Catherine Harvey

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Junhan Kim

Junhan Kim

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jory Van Thiel

Jory Van Thiel

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aidan Danoff

Aidan Danoff

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Justin O'Neill

Justin O'Neill

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jason Gill

Jason Gill

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Maggie Grant

Maggie Grant

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Johena Sanyal

Johena Sanyal

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Christina Ippoliti

Christina Ippoliti

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jared Carter

Jared Carter

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Anna Phan

Anna Phan

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Akshaya Ganesh

Akshaya Ganesh

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yanelyn Perez

Yanelyn Perez

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Zhuoyue Yang

Zhuoyue Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Katherine Armenta

Katherine Armenta

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Dagyeong "Irene" Yang

Dagyeong "Irene" Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Flannery McLamb

Flannery McLamb

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Kevin Hackbarth

Kevin Hackbarth

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Wanru Lin

Wanru Lin

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Fatemeh Yosefy

Fatemeh Yosefy

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Urja Biswas

Urja Biswas

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Asan Turdiev

Asan Turdiev

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Shu Yuan Shi

Shu Yuan Shi

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Spencer Lewis

Spencer Lewis

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Cody Conrad

Cody Conrad

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Minjae Park

Minjae Park

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yang Yang

Yang Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Cierra Wilson

Cierra Wilson

Ph.D. Student

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