Researchers in our Department study animals from around the world, from rainforests in Malaysia and Panama, to Caribbean reefs and African lakes, to ecosystems in Antarctica and on our doorstep.
We develop and apply diverse cutting-edge techniques supported by extensive research facilities, including genetic manipulations of insects, AI-facilitated analyses of behaviour and simulations of entire nervous systems and ecosystems.
We reanimate fossils from the deep past, to understand how the earliest animals evolved. We build simulations of worlds to come, to predict how pathogens will evolve and to understand how biodiversity can most effectively be conserved.
This rich diversity in approach energizes our teaching and our wider engagement activities, and it connects us to colleagues working across the School of Biological Sciences and the wider University.
Our research is supported by over 110 research grants with a total value of over £50m. The principal funders include the UK Research Councils - Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council and Medical Research Council, charities such as the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust, and Cancer Research UK, along with international organizations including notably the European Research Council, the US National Institutes of Health and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Join us as a postdoctoral researcher or fellow
Research projects list 2025-26
Associated organisations:
The Cambridge Conservation Initiative
Our department is closely allied to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, which is based next door to us in the David Attenborough Building. The CCI is a unique collaboration between the University of Cambridge and ten leading internationally focused biodiversity conservation organisations.
Student Conference on Conservation Science
The annual Student Conference in Conservation Science (SCCS) attracts young scientists from universities and conservation agencies across the world. SCCS offers them opportunities to network with peers as well as leaders in their field, gain experience, and present and get feedback on their work.
Student Conference on Conservation Science website
Associated research initiatives:
Cambridge Neuroscience
Cambridge Neuroscience is a virtual interdisciplinary research centre connecting researchers across the University of Cambridge and affiliated institutes. Their mission is to build networks and foster collaborations. They achieve this by developing unifying themes and encouraging individual researchers and teams to see themselves as part of a larger enterprise.
Cambridge Neuroscience website
Collections-Connections-Communities
Collections-Connections-Communities (CCC) is an interdisciplinary research initiative at the University of Cambridge. CCC supports, catalyses, and empowers communities of researchers who use the University’s collections in museums, garden, libraries, and archives to discover the past, learn about the present and act on the future.
Cambridge Global Food Security
Cambridge Global Food Security is a virtual centre at the University of Cambridge. GFS promotes an interdisciplinary approach to the challenge of ensuring everyone has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, with a focus on sustainable and socially equitable ways to feed our growing global population.
Cambridge Global Food Security website