Faculty & Student Research

CSULB faculty and students are actively involved in the generation of new basic and scientific research of regional, national, and international importance. Our faculty are diverse in research focus, studying organisms including microbes, protists, plants, and invertebrate and vertebrate animals, at levels of biological organization from molecules to ecosystems, in habitats including coastal wetlands, the rocky intertidal, kelp forests, and the deep sea.

Though diverse, we do have some particular concentrations of expertise, especially in:

  • development and larval biology
  • comparative physiology
  • population and community ecology, including fisheries ecology
  • conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands
  • impacts of pollution and other anthropogenic stressors on marine organisms
  • evolution of marine fishes

Benefits of Student Research

There is no better way for students to demonstrate to future employers or potential graduate advisors that they are well-trained in science than to show that they have successfully completed original research! CSULB students have many opportunities to get directly involved in hands-on research. The graduate program is organized around original research. Undergraduates can join research labs early in their careers, and often continue working in the same lab for several years.

Student-faculty research projects often lead to presentations (posters or talks) at scientific meetings, as well as peer-reviewed scientific publications: See recent research publications.

How to Get Involved

If you are a prospective or current CSULB student interested in getting involved in research, explore the current projects of our faculty members at their websites, and contact them to discuss possibly joining a project!