Research

Our award-winning faculty and researchers work with students to solve pressing global challenges in nearly every area of the biological sciences.

Interdisciplinary research is an integral part of the educational experience in our department, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. We are a place where the brightest minds can gather to tackle problems that matter to the world, including sustainability, genetic mapping and effects of environmental exposure on human health.

Research is a key part of our graduate programs. Our ~100 graduate students work in cutting-edge research across a broad range of disciplines. The experience they gain prepares them for further graduate study or careers in research and teaching in the academic, government, and private sectors.

Undergraduates also participate actively in research within our department and across the university through partner programs.

We have researchers working across many disciplines, broadly categorized into eight areas:

Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience & Behavior

Molecular & Cellular Biology

Paleobiology & Forensic Anthropology

Toxicology

Active Research Awards in BioSci Exceeded $78M (2023)

We are one of the leaders at NC State in annual research expenditures, an indicator of a vibrant research enterprise.

Outrageous Heads Led to Outrageously Large Dinosaurs

Tyrannosaurus rex and other large meat-eating theropods were the biggest baddies on the prehistoric block, and ornaments on their heads could help us figure out why. New research shows that theropod dinosaur species with bony crests, horns and knobs evolved to giant body sizes 20 times faster than those species lacking such embellishments and that theropod dinosaurs most closely related to birds abandoned the hard ornaments strategy of their ancestors and likely used feathers for visual communication.