Biological Sciences & Genetics
Molecular, organismal, genomic, evolutionary, and systems approaches to life.
Life, Earth & Environmental SciencesExploring living systems, planetary processes, and our environmental future.
Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Disciplinary strength connected to wider systems.
Life, Earth & Environmental Sciences studies living systems and the physical environments in which they emerge, adapt, interact, and change. The division connects molecular and organismal biology to landscapes, climate, earth materials, planetary processes, and human-environment feedback across scales.
Departments
Fields of study and practice
Departments organize disciplinary identity, curriculum, faculty appointments, and research methods within the division.
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth materials, geomorphology, geochronology, planetary processes, and deep-time systems.
Ecology, Climate & Environmental Systems
Ecosystems, climate, biodiversity, environmental monitoring, and coupled human-natural systems.
Health, Adaptation & Human Biology
Human variation, adaptation, physiology, environmental exposure, and biosocial health.
Questions & domains
What the division studies
- Genetics, genomics, epigenetics, evolution, and biological variation
- Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change, and coupled human-natural systems
- Earth materials, geomorphology, geochronology, climate, and planetary processes
- Human biology, health, adaptation, and environmental exposure
- Field biosciences, environmental DNA, collections, and long-term ecological records
Methods
How knowledge is produced
- Long-read sequencing, bioinformatics, molecular workflows, and comparative genomics
- Field sampling, environmental monitoring, microscopy, and laboratory analysis
- Remote sensing, geospatial modeling, climate data, and landscape reconstruction
- Experimental design, statistics, systems modeling, and reproducible research
- Chronometric, stratigraphic, geochemical, and materials-based approaches
Outputs
What students and faculty create
- Genomic and ecological datasets, analytical pipelines, and reproducible reports
- Environmental assessments, field studies, models, and monitoring programs
- Research articles, technical reports, maps, visualizations, and public data products
- Theses, dissertations, laboratory methods, and cross-scale systems analyses
Programs
Academic pathways in Life, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Degree programs
Environmental Systems & Earth Observation
Combines ecology, climate, earth science, remote sensing, environmental data, and field monitoring.
Four academic yearsOn-campus with field, laboratory, and hybrid components
View pathway →Integrative Biosciences & Genomic Methods
Connects biological foundations to genetics, genomics, evolution, physiology, ecology, computation, and laboratory practice.
Four academic yearsOn-campus with laboratory and research-computing components
View pathway →
Climate, Ecology & Human Adaptation
Studies climate and ecological change together with human vulnerability, adaptation, resilience, and environmental decision making.
Two academic yearsHybrid graduate seminars with field and computational research
View pathway →Genomics, Epigenetics & Biological Systems
Advanced study in genomic variation, gene regulation, long-read sequencing, bioinformatics, environment, and biological systems.
Two academic yearsLaboratory, research computing, and hybrid graduate seminars
View pathway →
Earth, Life & Planetary Systems
Original research across earth history, living systems, climate, planetary processes, and coupled environmental change.
Four to six academic yearsResidency, hybrid seminars, field and laboratory research
View pathway →Certificates
Nanopore Genomics & Long-Read Analysis
Long-read sequencing, quality control, alignment, assembly, variant analysis, reproducibility, and genomic data stewardship.
Two to four semestersHybrid with applied laboratory, field, studio, or computing work
View pathway →
Environmental DNA & Field Biosciences
Field sampling, contamination control, molecular workflows, bioinformatics, ecological inference, and reporting.
Two to four semestersHybrid with applied laboratory, field, studio, or computing work
View pathway →Human Adaptation & Epigenetics
Human biological variation, gene regulation, environment, stress, development, culture, and biosocial interpretation.
Two to four semestersHybrid with applied laboratory, field, studio, or computing work
View pathway →Climate & Ecological Systems
Climate evidence, ecology, remote sensing, adaptation, resilience, field monitoring, and systems analysis.
Two to four semestersHybrid with applied laboratory, field, studio, or computing work
View pathway →
Courses
Selected courses
BIO-110
Foundations of Biological Systems
Introduces cellular, organismal, evolutionary, ecological, and systems perspectives on life.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
GEN-220
Genetics, Genomics & Inheritance
Develops genetic reasoning from inheritance and molecular mechanisms to genomic variation, population patterns, and ethical interpretation.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
GEN-360
Long-Read Sequencing & Nanopore Analysis
Covers long-read sequencing workflows from sample and library considerations through basecalling, quality control, alignment, variant analysis, and reproducible reporting.
- Credits
- 4.0
- Contact hours
- 75.0
EPI-315
Culture, Environment & Epigenetics
Examines how biological regulation and lived environments interact across development, stress, nutrition, exposure, behavior, and social life.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
ENV-210
Ecology & Environmental Systems
Introduces ecological relationships, energy and material flows, population and community dynamics, disturbance, resilience, and environmental observation.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
EARTH-230
Earth Materials & Landscape Processes
Studies minerals, rocks, sediments, soils, geomorphic processes, and the material histories recorded in landscapes.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
CLIM-330
Climate Systems & Human Adaptation
Connects atmospheric and oceanic processes, climate records, modeling, risk, adaptation, and cultural responses to environmental change.
- Credits
- 3.0
- Contact hours
- 45.0
BIO-410
Environmental DNA Field Methods
Integrates field sampling, contamination control, molecular workflows, sequence analysis, and ecological interpretation for environmental DNA research.
- Credits
- 4.0
- Contact hours
- 75.0
Academic leadership & faculty
People and appointments
Academic inquiry
Connect your interests to a program, department, course, or research environment.
Admissions can help identify the most appropriate pathway across the division.