ASU SoLS: About The School of Life Sciences

The School of Life Sciences was established July 1, 2003 and incorporated three existing academic departments; Biology, Plant Biology and Microbiology. As a result of the reorganization, new goals were developed for the School: (1) expand opportunities for faculty and students to pursue and respond to new interdisciplinary initiatives; (2) create a learning environment that promotes the development of knowledge and skills in the life sciences that will enable graduates to function as effective citizens and scientists in the 21st century; (3) raise public awareness of the life sciences at ASU and serve the public as a source of information regarding key life science issues.

Faculty in the School of Life Sciences regard teaching and research as complementary and synergistic. Excellence in teaching trains students to solve problems and to think critically and scientifically in the classroom, laboratory and field. These processes are fundamental features of scholarly research. Excellence in faculty research, in turn, provides students with a complete and modern view of the scientific process and opportunities to experience research first-hand.

Faculty dedication and achievements in teaching complement our admirable record in research. Our faculty members have received Distinguished Teaching Awards for undergraduate instruction from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, several national awards for undergraduate education, and the Outstanding Teacher of Graduate Students Award from the Division of Graduate Studies. Our faculty members support both graduate and undergraduate students in their laboratories. The School's commitment to undergraduate education outside the classroom is exemplified by grants from NSF, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the NIH Minority Access to Research Career Program for undergraduate research experiences.

There are 155 faculty and affiliated faculty in SoLS, of these 110 are tenure-track faculty. The majority are funded by external research awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, or state and federal contracts. Our faculty members have been awarded the Division of Graduate Studies Distinguished Research Award, Research Career Development Awards from NIH, and, Presidential Young Investigator Award from NSF. The Department has also achieved prominent stature in areas of service within and outside the University: faculty members have served as members of NSF and NIH review panels, as Program Directors at NSF, and as editors of prominent scientific journals. Collective service in these areas provides a rich resource for students submitting scientific manuscripts and research proposals.

Our School is dedicated to disciplinary and transdisciplinary activities that create knowledge, while valuing teaching activities that transmit knowledge. Further, our extensive service to the University, as well as government agencies and editorial boards, force us to regularly confront larger questions concerning the creation and transmission of knowledge.

We welcome you to learn more about studying in the School of Life Sciences and are confident that you will find our research and academic opportunities interesting, exciting, and on the cutting edge of scientific inquiry.