Department of Biology

The faculty of the Department of Biology have embraced the motto of Georgetown University, 'A Student-Centered Research University', by providing an environment rich in research experiences for both graduate and undergraduate students.

This is an exciting time for the sciences at Georgetown University. The New Science Center, named Regents Hall, has just recently completed construction, and the science departments moved in over the Summer of 2012. Regents Hall now houses all of the Biology faculty formerly in the Reiss Science Building, and provides enhanced opportunities for collaborative research and teaching. Regents Hall will also permit faculty growth in all the science programs at Georgetown.

In addition to new Regents Hall space, the department is excited to add Profs. Janet Mann and Shweta Bansal as faculty members to the department. While Prof. Mann has had a joint appointment in the department for many years, Biology is now her official home within Georgetown. Dr. Shweta Bansal has just joined the department after completing post-doctoral work at Penn State University. She adds an exciting new dimension to our global health research interest group, using informatics tools to better understand disease transmission dynamics. We welcome Dr. Jeffrey Huang, who has officially joined the department and arrived on campus in October. Dr. Huang comes from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and he specializes in the study of neural regeneration.

Research in Biology is supported by grants from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Defense, as well as by private foundations including the National Geographic Society and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Last year the department received over $4 million in research support, continuing to accelerate its receipt of such awards.

You can learn more about our fantastic faculty and their research, our graduate and undergraduate programs offering B.S. degrees in Biology, Environmental Biology, Neurobiology and the Biology of Global Health on these pages of our web site, or by contacting us.

-Steven Singer

Chair of the Department of Biology

Department of Biology Seminar Schedule

Department of Biology Available Positions

Biology in the News

Neurobiology major Wardah Athar (C'13) uses the palette of opportunities offered at Georgetown to focus on undergraduate research and looks to bridge scientific research with the practice of medicine after graduating.

Undergraduate Research a Big Part of Senior's Georgetown Experience

John Monahan (C’83, L’87), a former special advisor for global health partnerships at the State Department, has joined Georgetown University as an advisor to President John J. DeGioia for global health. Monahan is helping DeGioia coordinate the university’s work on global health issues and will offer courses at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI) as a senior fellow. While serving at Georgetown, Monahan will also hold a part-time appointment with the State Department, where he serves as vice-chair of the Finance and Operational Performance Committee of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Global Health Expert Holds Part-time Position at Georgetown

Four Biology students and one faculty member recently received awards at the 2013 Georgetown University Undergraduate Research Conference, held on April 10, 2013. The event was sponsored by the Department of Human Science in the School of Nursing & Health Studies and was a combination of student investigations, faculty research, and keynote speakers, with the main goal being to highlight the research efforts of undergraduate students. The Department of Biology won big at this conference, with four members of the Class of 2013 receiving presentation awards and Professor Heidi Elmendorf receiving the Allan Angerio Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentorship.

Undergrads Showcase Diverse Research at Georgetown Conference

Senior Environmental Biology/Government double major Eric Mooring has recently been awarded a scholarship from the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States, which will support his graduate study next year towards a master of philosophy degree in veterinary science at the University of Cambridge, England. Named after the World War II British prime minister, the Churchill Scholarship allows students to pursue graduate research programs in engineering, mathematics and biological and physical sciences for one year at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship covers tuition, living expenses and travel and is worth more than $60,000. Eric is one of only 14 winners nationwide to win this prestigious award.

Undergraduate Will Study Infectious Disease With Churchill Scholarship

Georgetown’s Biology Department has partnered with the university’s Center for New Designs in Leadership and Scholarship (CNDLS), Simmons College and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) to create Genome Solver, a website that helps faculty and students investigate the Human Microbiome Project. The Common Fund Human Microbiome Project (HMP), located within the National Institutes of Health, is designed to identify and study the microbes that populate the human body, and according to Biology Assistant Professor Anne Rosenwald, aims to understand all of the organisms associated with the human system.

Georgetown Joins Partnership on Website Studying Microbes

Biology in the News Archive