Research and Job Opportunities

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.

2020 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. Descriptions of some of these programs and the applications can be found at the links provided below. Learn more.

Job Opportunities

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

Biology Fellow Q Center - Post-Bac

 Are you considering working for a year before graduate school or before making a career
commitment? The Amherst Biology Fellow is a “green dean” position for a recent Amherst
graduate working out of the Moss Quantitative Center. For more information and details on how to apply, please see the Job Ad:

JOB AD 2020-2021 Biology Fellow (1).pdf

JOB AD 2020-2021 Biology Fellow (1).pdf

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.

Research

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.  

The following sites have more detailed information about student research opportunities:

• Amherst College Summer Research Opportunities: information about the Dean of the Faculty Summer Research Program (SRP) and the Summer Science Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (SURF). 
• 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.
• Publications: lists recent publications by faculty member, with particular emphasis on those publications with Amherst College students as co-authors. 
• Student Honors Research:lists of Biology Honors students' thesis titles and advisors, by class year.  
• Student Job Interest Form: students often work part time as a research assistant during the academic year; submit this online form if you're interested.  
• Nationwide Summer Research Opportunites: lists links and application deadlines for hundreds of summer fellowships in a variety of areas of study in Biology.