We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2025. For more information about the program and our graduate faculty, please see our Biology Graduate Program Recruitment website: https://biograd.as.uky.edu/

Welcome to the web pages of the Biology Graduate Program at the University of Kentucky! Here you will find information on the nature of our program and the training options we provide. Graduate school is often the most challenging and simultaneously rewarding time in your life, and our program seeks to provide that sort of experience for you. We offer graduate training across the breadth of Biology and a variety of specific training options in all levels of biological organization. We will lead you into a rigorous set of research and teaching experiences that will prepare you for an array of successful academic, public and private-sector careers in the life sciences. We offer three degree options, Ph.D, M.S. plan A (with thesis) and M.S. Plan B (non-thesis), all of which involve a blend of coursework, individual research projects, and multiple forums for interacting with other scientists. We also have an incrediably diverse student body, with current students hailing from a half dozen other countries and US students from over a dozen different states!

To provide the best possible training for our students, the department invests heavily in professional development through seminar programs, financial support for research and for attending scientific meetings and workshops, and access to programs enhancing particular skill sets. Consequently, our students enjoy continued success in their graduate careers, as judged by receipt of extramural and intramural awards (in both research and teaching), publications and presentations, and post-graduate jobs. Besides working hard, we have a good time too, with barbecues in summer and departmental social events during the academic year!  Feel free to check out the specific informaiton on these pages and be sure to return to them periodically as they are continually being updated with new information. Finally, please contact the graduate student office or any faculty member if you have questions or need help finding the information you need about our program.

Contact Information

Jessica Santollo, Ph.D.
(Pronouns: She/Her/Hers)
Director of Graduate Studies 
Associate Professor of Biology
211D Thomas Hunt Morgan
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506
859-323-5156
j.santollo@uky.edu