Ph.D. student in Brian Pierce'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

Tracing the Evolution of Snake Venom

Tracing the Evolution of Snake Venom

September 24, 2026
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

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Meet our Graduate Students

Portrait of Simone Parn

Simone Parn

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Farhana Chowdhury

Farhana Chowdhury

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Shu Yuan Shi

Shu Yuan Shi

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Zhengren Zhang

Zhengren Zhang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Divya Sivalingam

Divya Sivalingam

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yang Yang

Yang Yang

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Nairita Faruqui

Nairita Faruqui

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jason Gill

Jason Gill

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Ricardo Sierra Arroyo

Ricardo Sierra Arroyo

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Husan Turdiev

Husan Turdiev

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Sahana Kumar

Sahana Kumar

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Shayana Saravanakumar

Shayana Saravanakumar

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Cierra Wilson

Cierra Wilson

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Akshaya Ganesh

Akshaya Ganesh

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aisha Abdulkarimu

Aisha Abdulkarimu

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aishwarya Sathya

Aishwarya Sathya

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Lucy Irvine

Lucy Irvine

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Catherine Harvey

Catherine Harvey

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Wanru Lin

Wanru Lin

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Savanna Lyda

Savanna Lyda

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Yaal Dryer

Yaal Dryer

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Maggie Grant

Maggie Grant

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Christian Artuz

Christian Artuz

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Wesley DeMontigny

Wesley DeMontigny

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aolani Perry

Aolani Perry

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Flannery McLamb

Flannery McLamb

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Aidan Danoff

Aidan Danoff

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Jory Van Thiel

Jory Van Thiel

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Minjae Park

Minjae Park

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Johena Sanyal

Johena Sanyal

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Tasmim Hossain

Tasmim Hossain

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Zexuan Zhao

Zexuan Zhao

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Victoria Lowers

Victoria Lowers

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Anna Phan

Anna Phan

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Fatemeh Yosefy

Fatemeh Yosefy

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Walker Orr

Walker Orr

Ph.D. Student
Portrait of Angela Jiang

Angela Jiang

Ph.D. Student

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