Research and Job Opportunities

Biology students and faculty at Amherst are engaged in studying how living organisms function, develop, reproduce, interact, behave, and evolve. We offer courses for students with career interests in biology, and courses for students who are not majoring in science but who wish to study modern biology as part of liberal arts education.

Close collaboration between faculty and students is a hallmark of Biology at Amherst.  We have a robust departmental honors program often involving research completed during both the summer and senior year. Faculty and students frequently travel to and give presentations at national scientific conferences, and publish jointly authored articles. We also have a great track record of sending students to the best graduate and professional schools in the country.

These links have detailed information about Biology research:

• Biology Research News: brief snapshots of recent and ongoing research in the department. (Featured in the image-link at the top of the page.)
• Faculty Profiles: details faculty research interests, current Amherst College courses, and recent publications.
• Student Honors Research: lists of Biology Honors students' thesis titles and advisors, by class year.

Research & Job Opportunities for Students

1. Student Research Assistant (RA) Opportunities

Are you interested in joining a Biology laboratory as a Research Assistant (RA)? Fill out this form to get started.

--> Check out the Biology faculty webpages for ideas about different faculty research areas!

2. Student Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities

Are you interested in joining a specific course as a Teaching Assistant (TA)? Fill out this form to get started.

3. Student Honors Research

Amherst's Biology Department has a long tradition of active research by its faculty and participation of senior majors and other students in this research. Biology majors who enter the Honors Program devote about half of their academic effort during the senior year to research, and the resulting thesis is often the basis of their first scientific publication. Learn more.

4. Summer Research Opportunities

A great way to apply and extend what you have been learning in the classroom and the laboratory is to join an active research lab over the summer. Amherst College and many institutions across the country (and beyond) offer summer undergraduate research programs that typically last about 10 weeks. We actively gather these Summer Research Opportunities across the country and update the list regularly! Students are encouraged to apply to many as there are limited spots in each program but with multiple applications many students are often successful in obtaining summer research experiences and internships. Learn more about Summer Research Opportunities

5. After Graduation

Biology Fellow Q Center - Post-Bac Position

 Are you considering working for a year before graduate school or before making a career
commitment? The Amherst Biology Q Fellow is a “green dean” position for a recent Amherst
graduate working out of the Moss Quantitative Center.

Please see the job description below for details of the position and information on how to apply.