Research Opportunities for Undergraduates in Biology
Undergraduate Biology students may register for the following courses to earn academic credit for research:
BIOL 4960 Independent Study (pass/fail, no prerequisite)
BIOL 4980 Advanced Independent Study (A/B/C/D/F letter grade, students must complete at least 6 hours of 3000+ level Biology course work prior to registering for BIOL 4980)
NOTE: B.S. Biology Majors may count up to 4 hours of research credit toward the 35 hours of upper division Biology classes needed to complete their degree. B.A. Biology Majors may count up to 3 hours of research credit. Research for credit does NOT count toward the 12 credit hours of upper division Biology classes needed to complete a Biology Minor.
Students may conduct research under the direction of a a faculty member from the Department of Biology. We also encourage students to pursue opportunities outside of the department with faculty at affiliated departments or institutions, including the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SLU's Center for World Health and Medicine, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
All students participating in research, whether for credit or not for credit, should register their experience with SLU through the Handshake app. Students should initiate their research experience in Handshake. Once completed, the experience will be forward to Career Services, and then the student's research supervisor and the Undergraduate Research Coordinator for approval. Please consult the following handouts for instructions:
Handshake - How to Initiate a Research Experience
Workflow Explanation for Research Experience
DocuSign Step-by-Step Instructions
Click on the links below to learn more about research opportunities at SLU and beyond.
Research Opportunities in the Biology Department
Please note that, while all SLU undergraduate students are encouraged to inquire about research positions in Biology and Neuroscience labs, some professors give priority to Biology and Neuroscience majors when filling open positions.
The Saint Louis University Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation
SLU Med School Research Lab Links (Contains web addresses to research departments and individual laboratories at SLU Medical School)
Research Opportunities at the Saint Louis Zoo
Research Opportunities at the Danforth Plant Science Center
Research Opportunities at Missouri Botanical Garden
Summer research experiences:
To update information on this site or to request more information, please contact Dr. Ashley Milam in the Department of Biology.