Researcher holding tray of items above their head while walking through a corridor of collections cabinets in KU's Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum.

BioGEM Postbaccalaureate Research Program

Funded by the National Science Foundation, BioGEM trains postbaccalaureate scholars in research that integrates biodiversity science with genetic evolutionary mechanisms.

Apply for 2025!

We are no longer accepting applications for 2024. Please consider applying for 2025. The application portal will open again on December 3rd! 


Interested in pursuing graduate study in biodiversity science?

The BioGEM program provides financial support for recent college graduates who have limited or no prior research experience, prioritizing groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Scholars engage in interdisciplinary projects that study how organisms, populations and species respond to their past and present environment and how genetic mechanisms equip organisms to respond to future environmental change.

Three KU researchers standing on a wooden platform peer into a metal tank filled with water at the KU Field Station.

Program Advantages

A key component of the BioGEM experience is a weekly professional & scholarly advancement series — involving mentors and network partners — that includes both professional development workshops and hands-on, mentor-led training modules covering a wide range of research methods. Scholars are based primarily at KU, with opportunities to be co-mentored by faculty at Haskell Indian Nations University, Emporia State University, Rockhurst University and Stowers Institute.

Blooming red and yellow tulips surrounding the campus fountain

Stay Connected!

Are you an interested applicant? Do you work to support students in finding research opportunities? Sign up with your email address for periodic updates regarding BioGEM deadlines and programming!

Yes, I want to stay connected

Find out more

Ten scholars will be recruited to engage in interdisciplinary research + professional development. Learn about program benefits and eligibility. Email us at biogem@ku.edu.

Researcher wearing a red T-shirt stands on a wooden boardwalk in a wetlands environment holding a net with a black snake inside.
Two researchers wearing black face masks and protective gloves use tweezers and scissors to work on an unpictured specimen in a laboratory setting.
Three researchers wearing waders stand about waste deep in a body of water collecting samples with nets.

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