Research is central to the BMB program, and students may conduct research on a volunteer basis, for academic credit, or for pay. Students are strongly encouraged to get involved in research with BMB faculty members<\/a>. Each year, approximately 100 BMB, Biology, and Chemistry students participate in research in BMB faculty laboratories. Alternatively, students can conduct research in an outside lab so long as they have a BMB faculty sponsor.<\/p>\n You can watch the video from our <\/span>Spring 2026 Research Info Session<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about how to get involved with research.<\/span><\/p>\n For more information, contact the Director of the BMB Program, Dr. Celenza<\/a>.<\/p>\n Please note: If you will be conducting research in a lab at BU, you are required to have signed BU\u2019s Intellectual Property Policy<\/a>. If you will be working with human subjects, CITI training and IRB approval<\/span><\/a> are required beforehand. If you will be conducting research with vertebrate animals IACUC training and approval<\/span><\/a> is required beforehand.<\/p>\n Undergraduate Research in Biology and Honors Research in Biology were recently restructured following inclusion in the BU Hub. For a summary of changes, please see this document<\/a>.<\/p>\n A BMB GPA of 2.7 or higher is required to apply for Undergraduate Research in BMB. If you do not have a BMB GPA of 2.7 or higher, contact Anne Hildebrand<\/a> to discuss an alternative arrangement. Freshman BB 140\/141\u00a0 (2 credits)<\/p>\n Sophomore BB 240\/241\u00a0 (2 credits)<\/p>\n Junior BB 340\/341\u00a0 (2 credits), BB 350\/351\/352 (4 credits)<\/p>\n Senior BB 450\/451\/452\/453\u00a0 (4 credits)<\/p>\n Note:\u00a0Senior-level research (including Honors) can be used to satisfy the advanced lab elective if both semesters of research are taken. Alternatively, students can use one semester of four-credit research to fulfill a BMB elective if not using Undergraduate Research or Honors Research\u00a0for their advanced lab elective.<\/p>\n During the fall and spring semesters, students are expected to conduct research for 3-<\/strong>4 hours\/week<\/strong> per credit<\/strong>. During the summer 1 and summer 2 sessions, students are expected to work 6-8\u00a0hours\/week per credit<\/strong>. This time can include other research-related work like attending lab meetings.<\/p>\n 1. Determine which BMB faculty members<\/a> (or outside researchers) are conducting research in the field of study you are interested in.\u00a0Then contact the individual(s) directly to determine if they have\u00a0openings in their lab.<\/p>\n 2. Alternatively, you can ask the Teaching Fellows in your courses if there are openings in the\u00a0labs they work in or if they know of anyone looking for undergrad help.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0Once you have a research mentor, you may then apply for Undergraduate Research.<\/p>\n Please note:<\/strong> If you are conducting research outside the BMB Program, you will also need to ask a BMB faculty member<\/a> to sponsor you (i.e., they will act as a liaison between the BMB Program and the outside researcher). Your BMB sponsor is usually your faculty advisor but could also be another faculty member with whom you have a good relationship and who is familiar with the field of research in which you will be engaged. Both your PI and the BMB faculty sponsor must approve your application.<\/p>\n Applications are due by the date listed at the top of the Undergraduate Research application<\/a>. Students must be participating in research during the semester(s) of application and thus cannot apply for Undergraduate Research for previously<\/em> conducted research.<\/p>\n Undergraduate Research application<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n An overall and BMB GPA of 3.5 or higher is required to apply for Honors Research in BMB. Your BMB GPA is the sum total of all BB\/BI\/CH\/PY\/MA courses. Applicants must also have senior standing (at least 96 credits earned).<\/p>\n ** Note: Senior-level research (including Honors) can be used to satisfy the advanced lab elective if both semesters of research are taken. Alternatively, students can use one semester of four-credit research to fulfill a BMB elective if not using Undergraduate Research or Honors Research for their advanced lab elective.<\/p>\n Students are expected to conduct research for a minimum of 16 hours per week. The 16 hours can include preparation, evaluation, or group meetings.<\/p>\n Applications are due by the date listed at the top of the Undergraduate Research application<\/a>.<\/p>\n Submit the online application form<\/a>, noting that you have senior standing and that you’re applying for Honors Research (BB 401 and 402). The form will prompt you to include your unofficial transcript, and your Honors research proposal.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Guidelines and expectations for students and mentors are included in syllabi for each research course below. Please note that beyond the time commitment, there are no additional requirements for 100 and 200-level (first year and sophomore) research courses.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is a University-wide program that helps connect students with research opportunities and provides funding for both research expenses and student stipends. In addition to funding during the academic year, UROP provides funding for full-time, paid research opportunities during the summer.<\/p>\n For program details and application, visit the UROP website<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n Acharya Y, Bhattacharyya S<\/strong>, Dhanda G, Haldar J. 2022 Emerging Roles of Glycopeptide Antibiotics: Moving beyond Gram-Positive Bacteria<\/a>. ACS Infect. Dis.<\/em> 2022<\/strong>, 8<\/em> (1), 1\u201328. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acsinfecdis.1c00367.<\/p>\n Blackburn PR, Xu Z, Tumelty KE, Zhao RW<\/strong>, Monis WJ, Harris KG, Gass JM, Cousin MA, Boczek NJ, Mitkov MV, Cappel MA, Francomano CA, Parisi JE, Klee EW, Faqeih E, Alkuraya FS, Layne MD, McDonnell NB, Atwal PS (2018). Bi-allelic Alterations in AEBP1<\/i> Lead to Defective Collagen Assembly and Connective Tissue Structure Resulting in a Variant of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. American Journal of Human Genetics <\/i>102(4):696-705.<\/p>\n Bogursky A<\/strong>. (2021) It\u2019s time to combat stubborn insurance companies. Bariatric patients deserve to live<\/a>. HPHR.<\/em> 2021; 28.<\/p>\n Bray D, Hook H, Zhao RW, Keenan JL, Penvose A, Osayame Y, <\/strong>Mohaghegh N, Chen X, Parameswaran S, Kottyan LC, Weirauch MT,\u00a0Siggers T. (2022) CASCADE: High-throughput characterization of regulatory complex binding altered by non-coding variants.\u00a0Cell Genomics<\/em>\u00a02:100098<\/p>\n Chandler, K. B, Alamoud, K. A, Stahl, V. L<\/strong>, Nguyen, B, Kartha, V. K, Bais, M. V, Costello, C. E. (2020). \u03b2-Catenin\/CBP inhibition alters epidermal growth factor receptor fucosylation status in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Molecular Omics,<\/i> 16<\/i>(3), 195-209.<\/p>\n Chi B, O\u2019Connell JD, Iocolano AD<\/strong>, Coady JA, Yu Y, Gangopadhyay J, Gygi SP and Reed R (<\/span>2018) The neurodegenerative diseases ALS and SMA are linked at the molecular level via the ASC-1 complex.\u00a0<\/span>Nucleic Acids Res.46(22):11939-11951.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Emont MP, Jacobs C, Essene AL, et al. A single-cell atlas of human and mouse white adipose tissue. Nature. 2020;603:926\u2013933. doi:10.1038\/s41586-022-04518-2<\/p>\n Feng, F, Ataca, S. T, Ran, M<\/strong>, Wang, Y, Breen, M, & Kepler, T. B. (2020). Gain-Scanning for Protein Microarray Assays. Journal of Proteome Research,<\/i> 19<\/i>(7), 2664-2675.<\/p>\n Fleischman NM, Vo AT, Camire EJ, Cosman JA, Gay KA, Esonwune SU<\/strong>, Grossman JD., Marquez, MD, Perlstein DL (2017) Defining the domains of Cia2 required for its essential function in vivo and in vitro. Metallomics<\/i> 9, 1645\u20131654.<\/p>\n Frame, N, Kumanan, M<\/strong>, Wales, T, Bandara, A, F\u00e4ndrich, M, Straub, J,\u00a0 Gursky, O. (2020, February 06). Structural Basis for Lipid Binding and Function by an Evolutionarily Conserved Protein, Serum Amyloid A.<\/p>\n Garcia-Beltran WF, Miller TE, Kirkpatrick G,<\/strong> Nixon A, Astudillo MG, Yang D, Mahanta LM, Murali M, Dighe AS, Lennerz J, Thierauf J, Naranbhai V, Iafrate AJ. (2021) Remote Fingerstick Blood Collection for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antibody Testing. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2021 Apr 1;145(4):415-418.<\/p>\n George I. Getz,\u00a0<\/span>Kshitij Parag-Sharma<\/strong>, Jonathan Reside,\u00a0Ricardo J. Padilla,\u00a0Antonio L. Amelio, (2019)\u00a0Identification of\u00a0NSDHL<\/i>\u00a0mutations associated with CHILD syndrome in oral verruciform xanthoma,\u00a0Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Gupta A<\/strong>, Condakes ML. (2021). Thermodynamic Understanding of an Aza-Michael Reaction Enables Five-Step Synthesis of the Potent Integrin Inhibitor MK-0429<\/a>. The Journal of Organic Chemistry<\/em>.<\/p>\n Hamadani <\/strong>CM, Goetz MJ, Mitragotri S, Tanner EEL. (2020, November 25). Protein-avoidant ionic liquid (PAIL)\u2013coated nanoparticles to increase bloodstream circulation and drive biodistribution<\/a>. ScienceAdvances, 6(48).<\/em><\/p>\n Hawkins DY, Zuch DT, Huth J, Rodriguez-Sastre N,\u00a0McCutcheon KR<\/strong>, Glick<\/strong> A<\/strong>, Lion AT, Johnson WE, Bradham CA. (2022) ICAT: A Novel Algorithm to Robustly Identify Cell States Following Perturbations in Single Cell Transcriptomes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>bioRxiv<\/em>. January 2022:2022.05.26.493603. doi:10.1101\/2022.05.26.493603<\/p>\n Heyward FD, Liu N, Jacobs C, et al. Integrated genomic analysis of AgRP neurons reveals that IRF3 regulates leptin\u2019s hunger-suppressing effects. Nature Neuroscience. doi:10.1101\/2022.01.03.474708<\/p>\n Hook H, Zhao RW<\/strong>, Bray D, Keenan JL,\u00a0Siggers T (2021) High-Throughput Analysis of the Cell and DNA Site-Specific Binding of Native NF-kB Dimers using Nuclear Extract Protein-Binding Microarrays (NextPBMs). Methods Mol. Biol. 2366:43-66\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Johnson C, Kretsge LN, Yen WW, Sriram B, O’Connor A, Liu RS, Jimenez JC, Phadke RA, Wingfield KK, Yeung C<\/strong>, Jinadasa TJ, Nguyen TPH, Cho ES, Fuchs E, Spevack ED, Velasco <\/strong>BE<\/strong>, Hausmann FS, Fournier LA, Brack A, Melzer S, Cruz-Mart\u00edn A. (2022) Highly unstable heterogeneous representations in VIP interneurons of the anterior cingulate cortex<\/a>. Molecular Psychiatry<\/em>. 27: 2602-2618. 4 Mar. 2022.<\/p>\n Jumelle C, Sani ES, Taketani Y,\u00a0<\/span>Yung A<\/b>, Gantin F, Chauhan SK, Annabi N, and Dana R. 2021. \u201cGrowth Factor-Eluting Hydrogels for Management of Corneal Defects.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>120. doi: 10.1016\/J.MSEC.2020.111790<\/span><\/p>\n Jumelle C,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Yung A<\/b>, Sani ES, Taketani Y, Gantin F, Bourel L, Wang S, Y<\/span>\u00fc<\/span>ksel E, Seneca S, Annabi N, and Dana R. 2021. Development and characterization of a hydrogel-based adhesive patch for sealing open-globe injuries<\/a>. Acta Biomaterialia. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/J.ACTBIO.2021.10.021<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Katsuyama E, Suarez-Fueyo A, Bradley S, Mizui M, Marin A, Mulki L, Krishfield S<\/strong>, . . . Tsokos, G. (2020, January 7). The CD38\/NAD\/SIRTUIN1\/EZH2 Axis Mitigates Cytotoxic CD8 T Cell Function and Identifies Patients with SLE Prone to Infections.<\/p>\n Katsuyama T, Martin-Delgado I, Krishfield S<\/strong>, Kyttaris V, & Moulton V. (2020, August 1). Splicing factor SRSF1 controls T cell homeostasis and its decreased levels are linked to lymphopenia in systemic lupus erythematosus.<\/p>\n Kshitij Parag-Sharma<\/strong><\/span>, Colin P. O\u2019Banion, Erin C. Henry, Adele M. Musicant, John L. Cleveland, David S. Lawrence, Antonio L. Amelio.(2020) Engineered BRET-Based Biologic Light Sources Enable Spatiotemporal Control over Diverse Optogenetic Systems, ACS Synthetic Biology.<\/span><\/p>\n Maziarz, M., Federico, A., Zhao, J., Dujmusic, L., Zhao, Z.<\/strong>, Monti, S., Varelas, X., & Garcia-Marcos, M. (2020). Naturally-occurring hotspot cancer mutations in G\u03b113 promote oncogenic signaling<\/a>.\u00a0The Journal of biological chemistry<\/em>, jbc.AC120.014698.<\/p>\n Messerschmidt J. L<\/strong>, Dempsey K. E, Dillon K. S, & Demehri S. (2020). Divergent Roles of Epithelium-Derived Alarmins in Notch Signaling-Deficient Skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology<\/i>.<\/p>\n Muratore I, Goolsby B<\/strong>, Fandozzi E, Arganda-Carreras S, Mullen S, and Traniello JF, (2018) “Division of Labor, Neuroanatomy, and Brain Gene Expression in Fungus-Growing Ants” Biology and Genomics of Social Insects, Cold Spring Harbor Labs, N.Y.<\/p>\n Musicant\u00a0A,\u00a0Kshitij Parag-Sharma<\/strong>, Weida Gong, Monideepa Sengupta, Arindam Chatterjee, Erin C Henry, Yi-Hsuan Tsai, Michele Hayward, Siddharth Sheth, Renee Betancourt, Trevor Hackman, Ricardo J Padilla, Joel S Parker, Jimena Giudice, Colin A Flaveny, David N Hayes, Antonio L. Amelio (2020) CRTC1-MAML2 Establishes a PGC1\u03b1-IGF1 Circuit that Confers Vulnerability to PPAR\u03b3 Inhibition, BioRxiv<\/i><\/p>\n Naranbhai V, Garcia-Beltran WF, Chang CC, Mairena CB, Thierauf JC, Kirkpatrick G,<\/strong> Onozato ML, Cheng J, St Denis KJ, Lam EC, Kaseke C, Tano-Menka R, Yang D, Pavlovic M, Yang W, Kui A, Miller TE, Astudillo MG, Cahill JE, Dighe AS, Gregory DJ, Poznansky MC, Gaiha GD, Balazs AB, Iafrate AJ. (2021) Comparative immunogenicity and effectiveness of mRNA-1273, BNT162b2 and Ad26.COV2.S COVID- 19 vaccines. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Oct 13. Update in: J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 09<\/p>\n Naranbhai V, Pernat CA, Gavralidis A, St Denis KJ, Lam EC, Spring LM, Isakoff SJ, Farmer JR, Zubiri L, Hobbs GS, How J, Brunner AM, Fathi AT, Peterson JL, Sakhi M, Hambelton G, Denault EN, Mortensen LJ, Perriello LA, Bruno MN, Bertaux BY, Lawless AR, Jackson MA, Niehoff E, Barabell C, Nambu CN, Nakajima E, Reinicke T, Bowes C, Berrios-Mairena CJ, Ofoman O, Kirkpatrick GE,<\/strong> Thierauf JC, Reynolds K, Willers H, Beltran WG, Dighe AS, Saff R, Blumenthal K, Sullivan RJ, Chen YB, Kim A, Bardia A, Balazs AB, Iafrate AJ, Gainor JF. (2021) Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Patients With Cancer: The CANVAX Cohort Study. J Clin Oncol. 2022 Jan 1;40(1):12-23. Epub 2021 Nov 9.<\/p>\nUndergraduate Research (academic credit)<\/h3>
Eligibility Requirements:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Hours:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Steps:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Deadline:<\/h4>\n
Application:<\/h4>\n
Honors Research (academic credit)<\/h3>
Eligibility Requirements:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Program Requirements:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Hours:<\/h4>\n
Deadline:<\/h4>\n
Application Instructions:<\/h4>\n
Guidelines and Expectations for Students and Mentors participating in Research Courses<\/h3>
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UROP (paid research)<\/h3>
Recent publications<\/h3>
\u00a0(undergraduates or recent alums listed in bold)<\/h5>\n