A message from Mary Halloran, Chair of the Department of Biology.

Hello all,

Today, July 1, 2026, marks the first day of the Department of Biology in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bringing together botany and integrative biology (formerly zoology), two departments that have been around since the earliest years of our university, is an enormous feat and it also presents several exciting opportunities.

The Department of Biology brings together botany and integrative biology’s 10 academic programs, three living and preserved natural history collections and adds an exciting new botanical sciences research hub, the Center for Botany.

We have so much to share with our students, campus, Wisconsin, and beyond but here are a few points that are currently top of mind for me:

This is the first time in 178 years that UW–Madison has had a Department of Biology.

Biology is a pillar of a liberal arts education. The founders of this university knew its importance and made efforts to support academic and research-driven inquiries into the natural world.

In the past 178 years, the botany and integrative biology (formerly zoology) departments have grown and contributed immensely to the field of biology and to the student experience at UW–Madison. That tradition will continue as we all continue to dive deeper into our areas of expertise.

Now, joining under one department will also help faculty and staff find where our expertise overlaps, allowing us to ask new questions and continue to innovate for our students and the public. We’ll also continue to partner with departments, schools and colleges across campus that study biological sciences.

Science and education advance when you bring together experts from across different fields, who approach questions in different ways.

From the molecular biology that keeps cells functioning every day, to the complex interactions of large ecosystems, our research and instruction examine the natural world in as many ways as you can count.

We know that biological organisms across all kingdoms are interconnected. They can’t only be studied in silos. Bringing together botany and integrative biology creates new opportunities for us to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of life.

It also creates new opportunities for our talented staff to swap techniques and brainstorm new approaches to instruction, advising, collections curation and outreach.

We are better equipped than ever to share our contributions with campus, the state and the world.

The focus of our departments has always been on serving students and the public through our research, education and outreach. As a department at a public land-grant university, it is our responsibility to share our knowledge with the state and beyond. Coming together under the Department of Biology will help us do that more effectively than ever.

Getting the word out about who we are, the educational opportunities we offer, and the beneficial research we are invested in will attract the top minds of both faculty and students to our programs. It will also open doors to future partnerships across campus, across other institutions and within industry. 

The doors are open and I am excited to see where the future takes us. 

Sincerely, 

Mary Halloran 

Department of Biology Chair

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