UofL Department of Biology

Interested in veterinary medicine? Stop by!

The Department of Biology is ready for the semester!*

*we are not ready

Check out this opportunity! Great experience, especially for pre-health students!

Participate in an important research study! Link in Linktree in bio.

Attention all Bio students: Biology Ambassador positions are now available! Join our enthusiastic team and spread the word about biology at admissions events, majors fairs, and official social media. Great for resume building! DM for any questions and to apply.

Scenes from the 2026 Undergraduate Summer Research Showcase, part 1! Congrats kira/琳琳 for winning first place in the KEEP Program poster competition!

Today’s featured biology summer undergraduate researcher is Pranjal Sharma!

“Hi! My name is Pranjal Sharma. I am currently a junior at UofL doing a Biology BS major with a Chemistry and English Literature double minor and a certificate in Healthcare Skills. Currently I am continuing my research in the Kakar lab through the MD/PhD Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. My research focuses on the therapeutic and cardioprotective effects of Withaferin A in a combined drug therapy setting with chemotherapy drugs such as Doxorubicin to find synergistic effects of drugs and the impact on cardiac toxicity and cachexia.

Other than research, I am a Grawemeyer Scholar, a UofL Biology Ambassador, and work as a Resident Assistant on campus. I am also the Vice President of WISER (Women in STEM, Education, and Roundtable) and the founding Vice President of the prospective Louisville chapter of Omega Phi Alpha. I also enjoy painting, ceramics, dancing, and trying out different cafes.”

Don’t miss the PhD dissertation defense of Bre Beard this Thursday!

Today’s featured summer undergraduate researcher is Elijah Merry!

“Hi! My name is Elijah Merry, and I’m a rising sophomore biochem major with minors in philosophy and biology. This summer I began my journey as a researcher in Dr. Lovely’s lab and I couldn’t be more happy with how it’s going. Broadly, our research focuses on how prenatal alcohol exposure affects craniofacial development. We breed zebrafish that are hetero for a particular mutation, and expose half of the laid eggs to a 1% ethanol solution. Through genotyping, phenotyping, and imaging we are able to analyze variations in phenotypic and genotypic severities/frequencies. This helps build our understanding of the beautifully delicate process that is facial development. I’m particularly focused on the role of Sonic Hedgehog A mutants, or SHHA for short. (yes, it is in fact named after THE sonic the hedgehog). As someone born with cleft lip and palate, I find it so fascinating to learn the intricacies of development and how clefts occur. It truly is a lovely experience working under Dr. Lovely. Special thanks to my Undergraduate research club mentor Jake Caminiti Jake Caminiti and my unofficial lab mentor Jenny. I couldn’t ask for better mentors.”

Today’s featured summer undergraduate researcher is Darini Nagarajan!

“Hi everyone! My name is Darini Nagarajan, and I’m a senior Neuroscience major with minors in Biology, chemistry, Epidemiology and Psychology! This summer I’m continuing my research in Dr. Kakar’s lab at the Brown Cancer Center and I’m part of the MD/PhD SURF program! Our research focuses on the preclinical evaluation of Withaferin A based combination drug therapies as a novel translational approach to mitigate cancer induced cachexia while enhancing cancer treatment. Using murine models, we investigate its cardiopulmonary protective properties effect. Most recently, our work has expanded to investigate novel therapeutic strategies for pediatric neuroblastoma. Outside the lab, I serve as the Executive Director of the Student Organization Advisory Board (SOAB) and stay involved with organizations including HOSA, UNICEF, raiseRED Dance Marathon, and UofLRAM!   In my free time, I love watching and rewatching movies, hanging out with my friends, and spending time outdoors biking and running!!