Water, plants, animals and humans — they’re all essential to the study of life on our planet. As Earth enters an unprecedented era of global change, understanding life in all its forms and ecosystems is crucial. That’s why the University of Wisconsin–Madison is entering an exciting new era of researching, teaching and expanding the biological sciences by launching the new Department of Biology within the College of Letters & Science.
The new department will represent the combined efforts and talents of the current integrative biology and botany departments, which also include the Wisconsin State Herbarium, Botany Garden and Greenhouse and UW Zoological Museum. Faculty members in the new department are engaged with various research centers, including the Center for Limnology. The new department will officially launch in Summer 2026 and is the result of an extensive shared governance process that began in Fall 2021. The University Academic Planning Council voted to approve the creation of the Department of Biology on Nov. 20, 2025, and the matter was reported to the Faculty Senate on Dec. 1, 2025.
“This new department reflects the College’s commitment to the biological sciences,” says Eric M. Wilcots, Dean of the College of Letters & Science and Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy. “By bringing together remarkable faculty, staff and students as well as community and industry partners — whose expertise spans the breadth of ecology and evolution to cell biology and neuroscience — we will unlock new opportunities for collaboration, nurture degree flexibility for students, promote innovative research and open up new resources to better serve the UW–Madison campus.”
The idea of building a bridge between these departments is something Mary Halloran, a professor and chair for the current Department of Integrative Biology, is especially excited about. For example, as a neuroscientist, she sees tremendous opportunities to collaborate with molecular plant scientists, because brain neurons and plant cells have a lot in common.
“Being part of the same department means that we’ll be going to meetings and seminars together, which means there will be opportunities for those conversations in the hallway with researchers who could have insight into our work,” Halloran says. “Modern biology is highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, and it’s really communications between scientists from diverse disciplines that drive scientific discovery.”
The creation of this new department comes at a time when universities across the country are shrinking or cutting their botany programs. Instead of following suit, UW–Madison is doubling down on its commitment to botany by creating a new Center for Botanical Sciences with the mission to discover, protect and communicate knowledge of basic plant, fungal, algal and lichen biology and to provide coordination of the botanical and plant sciences across campus.
“As botanists, we’ve watched and learned from the experiences of other universities, and we are very intentionally founding a new department with the aim of protecting and investing in the botanical sciences,” says Anne Pringle, chair of the current Department of Botany, L&S Mary Herman Rubinstein Professor and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Botany. “I have no doubt that UW–Madison will expand on its reputation as a national and world leader in the botanical sciences.”
Pringle isn’t alone in her commitment to protecting the future of botany, as her colleagues in botany and integrative biology unanimously support it.
“It is critically important that we protect botanical sciences in this University and this country,” Halloran says. “There’s nothing more important for our planet, human beings and animals than to preserve the biodiversity and research of plants.”
Both botany and integrative biology have a long history of research and discovery at UW–Madison. Examples range from limnologists working to understand and protect Wisconsin’s freshwater resources to conservation biologists fighting extinction by freezing cryogenic-quality samples of endangered species to botanists working with NASA to send tomatoes into space.
“As we move forward to launch the department next summer, I want to extend my deepest thanks to the faculty, staff and students of botany and integrative biology for more than four years of thoughtful conversation, hard work and collaboration that brought us to this moment,” Wilcots says.
The transition for students will be seamless. All of the undergraduate majors and certificates and graduate student programs will remain consistent with the current model, including majors in molecular and cell biology, neurobiology, zoology, biology, botany and conservation biology for undergraduate students. The current graduate programs in freshwater and marine sciences, integrative biology and botany will also be offered. The biggest change students may notice over time is an increase in opportunities for classes and research in the new department.
“Plants may not have human neurons, but it is informative to understand science from multiple perspectives and see what connections you can draw from these different disciplines,” says Kaylin DeHart, who is an undergraduate student double majoring in neurobiology and botany within L&S. She’s worked in labs conducting research through the current botany and integrative biology departments. “I think knowing both sides of the science will be to my advantage in the future, because I have that intersectional knowledge to rely on when drawing conclusions.”
It’s students like DeHart who serve as an inspiration for Pringle and Halloran as they breathe life into this new department. In the Department of Biology, students will learn in classrooms, laboratories and field sites, working alongside expert mentors to bring together perspectives from across the biological sciences. They’ll be part of a community that values curiosity and seeks to answer every question — from molecules to ecosystems — in the grand story of life.
And launching this new department is just the beginning. Long term, the goal is to build a physical hub for the biological sciences on campus, where scientists can come together to enhance teaching, learning, research and more.
“We are stewards of our planet’s biodiversity,” says Pringle. “To continue our mission, we need to work together, collaborating and building better infrastructure to enable the students we’re training to meet the world’s challenges. By forming a new Department of Biology, we celebrate our mission and honor our commitment to finding a better future for all life on Earth.”
For more information check out Department of Biology Frequently Asked Questions.