Susan P. Gilbert Department Head

Modern biology studies life at all scales from individual molecules to single cells, organisms, and ecological networks.  The Department of Biological Sciences is highly interdisciplinary and the core of the life sciences at Rensselaer.  We are a broad-based interactive community of faculty, students, and staff whose research interests encompass nearly every area of modern biology including macromolecular structure and function, computational biology and bioinformatics, biochemistry and bioenergetics, nanobiology and biotechnology, cell and developmental biology and genetics, neuroscience, microbiology and host-pathogen interactions, microbial ecology and evolution, synthetic biology, and freshwater ecology.

Our mission is to achieve excellence in our teaching and training of undergraduate and graduate students, and to provide an environment where each individual can maximize his or her creativity and productivity.  Our curricula and programs are based on the principle of providing the fundamental knowledge as well as the research and analytical skills required for the rapidly changing life sciences landscape.  Our student laboratories include cutting-edge instrumentation and computation approaches to prepare the next generation of scientists that will work at the interface of the physical and biological sciences.

The diversity of scientific interests within the department and the Rensselaer community contributes to an exciting and interdisciplinary environment where we all strive to achieve our goals and dreams.

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