Biology Department

La Sierra University is home to the premier Biology department in Adventist higher education.  Our faculty are world class Biologists, with many considered top tier in their areas of expertise. 

• Cutting-edge research is an important part of the culture in our department. On average, our department faculty publish 3 peer-reviewed research papers in a given year.  All of our faculty include undergraduates in every step of their research projects, from design to implementation, through publication.  
• Undergraduate research increases academic performance, and student outcomes post graduation. In support of this, we incorporate project-based learning into the majority of our undergraduate courses.  All our students create research projects throughout their career here, starting their freshmen year.
• Each year a large number of our students publish their research in top scientific journals. For example for the last two years, we have had 25+ freshmen as co-authors on peer-reviewed scientific publications.
• In the last year 18 students have presented their research at National and International meetings (San Diego, Anaheim, Orlando, Minneapolis, Tel Aviv). Four of them won prizes for best presentations, besting students from top research institutions.  
• We are one of three California Universities that are part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute sponsored SEA-PHAGES program, which allows students to discover new viruses that infect bacteria.
• Over the last 5 years, graduates from our program have attended NYU, Duke University, Columbia, Loma Linda U., UCLA, University of Southern California, Villanova University, UC Davis, San Diego State, Keck Graduate Institute, Western University, Auburn University.
• Our emphasis on critical thinking, research, and project-based learning is paying off for our students.  Presently we place students in Professional and graduate programs at almost twice the national average.