Research Opportunities
We transform classroom learning into lab and field discovery
Research is pivotal to the Department of Natural Sciences academic experience. It’s where theory becomes practice and where scientific questions are answered. It also helps you to build the foundation for graduate school or professional research work.
Cultivating the next generation of scientific trailblazers
Professors as Mentors
“If I went to a big university, I might not have had the chance to do research for 10 weeks in another country. I got to interact closely with professors. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for grad school, and they showed me the path forward. Many of them influenced how I show up in the program I’m in now.”
Chanchanok Sudta PZ ’18
Biology major
Student Research Resources
You will be supported in your research by mentors—our faculty. Our professors offer many different projects to get involved with throughout the year. We also offer an extensive summer research program, in which students receive paid 10-week fellowships to work with science faculty.
How to Apply to Research Groups
See our FAQs page about connecting with faculty and joining research projects.
Faculty Research Interests
Explore ongoing faculty research in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and more.
Internship and Volunteer Opportunities
Give back to the community, explore careers, and gain experience for the future.
Summer Research Opportunities
Spend your summer with the Department of Natural Sciences or other research institutions and organizations.
Human Subject Research
See requirements for studies involving research on human subjects.
Vertebrate Animal Research
See requirements for the use of non-human vertebrate animals in research and continuing review.
General Resources
- Chemical Hygiene Plan
- Research Seminars
See the current schedule of special guest lectures. - Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is the international honor society of science and engineering.
Field Research Sites
Robert J. Bernard Field Station
Within The Claremont Colleges is an 86-acre field station that is habitat to California sage scrub, a live oak forest, and grassland. The Bernard Field Station seeks to increase understanding of Southern California’s ecosystems through education and research.
Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology
This 150-acre biological reserve and field station in Costa Rica incorporates collaborative resource management, sustainable forestry, ecology, and community-based intercultural education.