Welcome to the UAB Department of Biology!

It is my great privilege to welcome you to the Department of Biology, which is one of the most vibrant departments at UAB! Our mission is to provide our students with broad, high-quality educational opportunities through the classes that we offer and hands-on research opportunities available with outstanding faculty. This is an exciting time to study Biology as both the field and the Department continue to grow and be a leader in a variety of vital areas such as Biomedical Science, Healthy Aging, Food Security, Science Policy, Bioinformatics and Big Data Modeling, Global Change Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Sciences. Our distinctive research and training focus ranges from DNA to global ecosystems, from the molecular causes and treatment of cancer to Polar Biology.

We have opportunities that few other places can offer, a unique demographic that represents the future, amazing facilities to educate and conduct research, numerous community partnerships with local businesses, and a dynamic interdisciplinary faculty with national and international reputations. Our new Science & Engineering Complex facility represents a multi-million-dollar investment in teaching and research technologies to provide our students with the world’s best facilities coupled with an atmosphere filled with enthusiasm for science and learning. We engage and embrace a graduate student community that joins us as scientists, scholars, and educators. Our graduate education is rooted in cutting-edge, high-impact research, but it also involves professional development to prepare students for employment in bioindustry, medical research, scientific communication, government and science policy, school science education, or academia. Our expectation is that students who graduate from the UAB Biology Department will be the world’s next generation of leading academicians, physicians, health industry professionals, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, teachers, and public servants.

Whether you are a freshman beginning the first of four years or a transfer student, whether you want to pursue a career in medicine, dentistry, optometry, or veterinary sciences, plan to continue with a graduate degree, or open a biotech start-up company – you have come to the right place. Our faculty and staff members, including dedicated and award-winning Teaching Professors, Instructional Laboratory Staff, and Academic Advisors, are excited to connect with you, whether online or in person, so that together we can investigate life in the context of an ever-changing natural world.

We look forward to welcoming you to the UAB-Biology Family and setting your world on fire!

Go Blazers!

Dr. Karolina Mukhtar
Professor and Chair of Biology