Graduate Programs

The Department of Biology offers two Masters and four interdisciplinary Doctoral programs in the biological sciences. Graduate students have access to the University's leading faculty across disciplines, including the Department of Biology's 29 tenure-track faculty, nine lecturers, four research faculty and six postdoctoral scholars.

Image of a population of Caenorhabditis elegans taken through a stereomicroscope.

Cell and Molecular Biology

Ph.D. and M.S.

Part of the interdisciplinary Molecular Biosciences program, the Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) prepare students for careers in biological and biomedical research, industry, and teaching. This highly interactive program offers a supportive environment for a large graduate student body with excellent research opportunities in a broad range of areas including biochemistry, cancer biology, immunology, plant molecular genetics and more.

Learn more about the CMB program
A purple pipette fills a test tube in a tray full of test tubes.

Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

Ph.D.

Part of the interdisciplinary Molecular Biosciences program, the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology (CMPP) program is dedicated to advancing the understanding of the human body and the ways medicine can combat illnesses within it. The program boasts $9 million in research grant funding to support areas of research such as molecular pharmacology, molecular biology of ion channels, cell physiology, cardiovascular pharmacology, autonomic pharmacology and neuropharmacology.

Learn more about the CMPP program
A hand holds the stem of a leaf with a brightly colored caterpillar on it.

Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology

Ph.D.

Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (EECB) is an interdisciplinary doctoral program bringing together faculty and students from multiple departments and institutions at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Desert Research Institute and the Great Basin Institute. Build an in-depth understanding of ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them and help shape policies that respect these natural wonders. Among the program's research strengths are behavioral ecology, genomics and molecular ecology, limnology, plant-animal interactions and more.

Learn more about the EECB program
Image showing immunostaining techniques along with expression of fluorescent markers combined with confocal microscopy.

Neuroscience

Ph.D.

This highly collaborative interdisciplinary group of researchers seeking to tackle big questions in neuroscience while preparing students for a career in this exciting field. Neuroscience research faculty have expertise in molecular genetics, behavioral analysis, developmental biology, electrophysiology, optogenetics, human psychophysics, virtual reality and functional MRI and EEG. 

Learn more about the Neuroscience program
Photo of a human anatomy figure shot from below with a white acoustic ceiling in the background.

Biology Masters of Science program

The Department of Biology participates in two Masters degree programs in which students may select from three areas of concentrations aligned with the Department's doctoral programs: Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (EECB), or general biology. The two program tracks are as follows:

  • Plan A is a program culminating in a research thesis for students interested in pursuing further advanced degrees or employment in biological research.
  • Plan B is a program leading to a non-thesis Masters Degree, and is intended as the terminal degree for students seeking careers in industry, education, agencies, or other areas.
Learn more about the Biology M.S. program

Graduate student resources

The Department of Biology and the University of Nevada, Reno offer graduate students support in areas of scholarship, grant writing, advising and more. For program-specific support and opportunities, visit the program's web pages.

Find out how the Department of Biology can help you succeed

Graduate students leading research

The Department of Biology supports graduate students in their research from here in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains and around the world. Below are just a few examples of research being conducted by some of our current graduate students.

Lanie Galland

Lanie's interests revolve around comparative evolution, genetic architecture of adaptive traits, and genome divergence. She is investigating how historical, geographical, and environmental factors (including global climate change) shape genomic and phenotypic variation in multiple systems. Lanie is pursuing her Ph.D. in the Ecology Evolution and Conservation Biology Program.

For the past three years, Lanie has been traveling to northern Mongolia to study the threatened taimen, the world's largest trout in an effort to influence its conservation.

Danielle Salcido, Ph.D. candidate

Danielle Salcido is pursuing her Ph.D. under advisor Lee Dyer. Her research is focused on tri-trophic interactions between insects, particularly caterpillars and parasitoids, in Costa Rica and Ecuador. With 22 years of data to work with from these two sites, Danielle is pursuing the question of whether or not population declines are happening and why. She is also interested in the benefit of citizen scientists and incorporates volunteer researchers in her work.

Chris Halsch, Ph.D. candidate

Chris Halsch joined the Department of Biology under advisor Matt Forister to contribute to a long-term study of butterflies that includes 10 sites across Northern California which span an elevational gradient and have been monitored for more than 40 years. This is one of the longest-running studies of its kind and is a valuable and unique record of the biodiversity of the western US. Butterflies, like other insects, are very sensitive to environmental changes and can respond more quickly than longer-lived organisms. By continually surveying these sites we can better understand how these often overlooked animals are responding to a changing world.