The work of the Biology and Biotechnology Department at WPI goes far beyond the theoretical. Our faculty members and students are creative problem solvers who are passionate about using biological concepts in innovative, applicable ways. Ranging from cancer biology and infectious disease research to studies of brain plasticity and pollinator decline, student-driven research at WPI is making an impact.

Our state-of-the-art research facilities housed at the Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center support collaborations between students, faculty, and company researchers from across disciplines, enabling free exchanges of ideas that lead to important advances in healthcare, therapeutics, regenerative biology, the environment, and more.

Contact

Location: 
60 Prescott Street (Gateway Park I)
Goddard Hall
Phone: 
508-831-5543
Fax: 
508-831-5936
bio-web@wpi.edu

Degrees & Certificates

Area of Study Bachelor Minor Certificate Master PhD
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Capstone Courses (PDF) at: https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/docs/Departments-Programs/Biology-Biotec...

Overcoming Bacterial Defense Mechanisms

Finding vulnerabilities in pathogenic bacteria

How do pathogenic bacteria survive antibiotics and other stressors that they encounter during infection? Assistant Professor Scarlet Shell leads a team working to answer this question, with the long-term goal of identifying vulnerabilities that can be harnessed to develop better treatments. 

Studying Mental Flexibility in Bees

Studying Mental Flexibility in Bees

Assistant Professor Rob Gegear studies how bumblebees make decisions as they forage, and explores the complex interconnections between bees and flowering plants. This is no small matter, as bees are vital to agriculture and to maintaining the Earth's ecological diversity.

Scarlett Shell
Jagan Srinivasan
Melinda Belisle '08

The Life of a Scientist

Professors Scarlet Shell and Jagan Srinivasan, along with alumna Melinda Belisle '08, are among more than a dozen members of the WPI scientific community who shared what it means to be a scientist. 

Meet some of WPI's #ActualLivingScientists about The Life of a Scientist
Amity Manning explores the molecular mechanisms associated with cancer cells in her lab at Gateway Park

Beating Cancer at Its Own Game

Assistant professor Amity Manning is leading a three-year research projected funded by the National Institutes of Health to explore the molecular mechanisms associated with the genetic mutations and chromosome instability observed in all cancer cells.

The goal is to turn the genetic tables against cancer by learning more about the molecular basis of cancer cells' uncontrolled growth.

Read the full story about Beating Cancer at Its Own Game

Calendar

SEE MORE EVENTS
Apr12 - 16
2021 A&S Spring Science Week
8:00 am, Apr 12 to 6:00 pm, Apr 16
Join the the School of Arts and Sciences as it celebrates science and innovation with events that include a movie screening and director Q&A, faculty and student lightning talks, and a graduate student virtual poster session.
Apr12 - 13
Film screening of Coded Bias
Virtual event
8:00 am, Apr 12 to 6:00 pm, Apr 13
Film Screening of CODED BIAS, a documentary by Shalini Kantayya
See More Events

Meet Our Students

Image of Sara L.

Sara L.

Junior, BS in Biology/Biotechnology; Minor in Biochemistry

Sara traveled to the Albania Project Center to complete her IQP, working with three other students and local sponsor Eco-Albania to assess the economic value derived from exporting medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) to international markets. She and her teammates examined ways in which the harvesting techniques of these plants along the Vjosa River could be improved; they also considered the potential impacts of the impending dam construction and trade implications on the plants.

Read More
Melissa Mobley

Melissa M.

PhD, Biotechnology

A PhD biotech student seeks to combine her love of working with animals and human healthcare to develop pharmaceuticals.

Read More

News

SEE MORE NEWS
WPI professors
WPI Announces Faculty Promotions and Tenure Awards
March 02, 2021
Portraits of six faculty members honored for achievements.
2020 Annual Faculty Awards Honored Scholars for Teaching, Advising, Research Excellence
February 10, 2021
Scarlet Shell alt
Scarlet Shell
WPI Awarded NIH Grant to Identify Sweet Wormwood Plant Compounds Effective Against Tuberculosis Bacteria
January 21, 2021
Two pumpkins sit side by side, one with a W and one with a pi symbol carved in them.
The Month in Photos: October 2020
November 12, 2020

Media Coverage

SEE ALL MEDIA COVERAGE
WGBH
Tracking Massachusetts' Disappearing Whip-Poor-Wills

 

WGBH’s “Morning Edition” profiled bird research by Associate Teaching Professor Marja Bakerman, “Tracking Massachusetts’ Disappearing Whip-Poor-Wills”. The research project, a collaboration between WPI and Mass Wildlife, features catching and putting GPS tags on the birds to collect data on their travels,” the report stated.  

Can herbal treatments for malaria work?

Referring to her work as “pioneering,’ Medical Academic included research by Professor Pamela Weathers, biology and biotechnology, on the Artemisia plant, in this article. Her work shows that the leaves of the plant can be made into a therapy that appears to be more effective than a drug at knocking out the malarial parasite.

Facts and Figures

50+

global project centers on six continents

13:1

student-to-faculty ratio 

#1

faculty that best combine research and teaching

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (2016)

Admissions and Registration Information

Undergraduate Admissions Information
Graduate Admissions Information
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Course Registration Information

Related Links

Life Sciences & Bioengineering Center
Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center