Biological Sciences

UC Berkeley’s Division of Biological Sciences generates profound shifts in our understanding of the function and behavior of living organisms. New insights — many discovered in our laboratories — fuel the widely accepted belief that the life sciences form the defining research enterprise of the 21st century. CRISPR genome engineering, immuno-oncology, telomeres and telomerase, the proto-human “Ardi,” and the molecular behavior of insulin — these are examples of world-altering discoveries that originated at Berkeley.  

The Division comprises three departments: Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB), Integrative Biology (IB), and Neuroscience (Neuro), along with our Physical Education Program. We have approximately 150 full-time faculty. The Division is a leader in biological inquiry, research and comprehensive and enriched science education.We recruit stellar faculty and student talent. We have a legacy of premier scientific discovery and today, we continue to investigate fundamental, non-traditional areas that translate basic discoveries into real-world applications. Our undergraduate and graduate students learn from and work with some of the world’s leading scientific minds, deciphering the interplay of living systems from molecules, through cells, to the ecosystem and the planetary.