Research and partnerships

Research centers

Faculty and graduate student workspaces are typically located in your home department, where you enjoy access to departmental resources (e.g., computing facilities, classrooms, wet and dry labs). In addition, members of EECB have access to our research centers and facilities.

Several rows of small planters with budding plants.

Nevada Institute for Chemical Ecology

A central goal of the Nevada Institute for Chemical Ecology is to understand how interactions among organisms are mediated by biological compounds. The field of chemical ecology has profound influences on various disciplines, from ecology and biochemistry to physiology and pharmacology. Our interdisciplinary group, with the University of Sao Paulo, has started international collaborations between a diverse set of scientists to resynthesize, reinvigorate, and advance chemical ecology by integrating technical and conceptual advances in their respective fields.

Close up of stones at the edge of a riverbed.

Conservation Genetics Center

The Conservation Genetics Center was created to bring recent technological advances in equipment designed for high-throughput genomic analysis to bear on questions in conservation biology and evolution. The aim of the center is to improve the ability of conservation biologists to ask questions about spatial and temporal dynamics in a cost-effective and timely manner.

In a lab, a researcher's gloved hand points to a computer screen with data on a screen.

Nevada Genomics Center

The Nevada Genomics Center is a core facility designed to aid researchers in the study of genes and their functions. Their goal is to provide quality, timely and reliable service to small- and medium-sized research laboratories. Services include structural genomics (high-throughput DNA sequencing and fragment analysis processing), functional genomics (quantitative PCR), and more.

Research sites and facilities

Three researchers examen a plant inside of a greenhouse.

Valley Road Field Lab

The Valley Road Field Laboratory is a short walk from the University’s main campus and is an ideal setting for urban agriculture and experimentation. With 27 acres designated for research and education, the property encompasses four state-of-the-art research facilities, including a 29,280-square-foot greenhouse complex, the Nevada Genomics Center, the Agricultural Research Services botanical tissue culturing facility and a fully-equipped maintenance engineering shop.

Two people stand before a collection of taxidermied animals.

Museum of Natural History

The Museum of Natural History houses over 600,000 specimens of plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and other materials through a collaboration between the College of Science and College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources. The museum includes a lobby with displays of Nevada flora and fauna for public outreach, and a large back room with scientific collections, teaching collections, and major equipment to support research and education.

The top branches of a pine tree against a cloudless blue sky.

Whittell Forest

The University's Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area in the Carson Range has been dedicated to the study of environmental sciences for more than 50 years. Current research is focused on plant-animal interactions involving seed-caching rodents and birds and several species of pines and shrubs, studies of vegetation decomposition and nutrient cycling and pheromone production by pine bark beetles. The Whittell Forest offers some funding opportunities for graduate students.

Our program provides the opportunity to tailor your graduate education to your interests. You will have a team of mentors to guide you through your scientific endeavors and provide you with a solid foundation in research methods and experimental design.

Research areas