Program areas at MBL
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) maintains laboratories for the scientific study and investigation of a wide range of biological topics, from biomedical to ecological research. MBL Resident Scientists are based full-time in Woods Hole and conduct funded research in areas of science that are relevant to the MBL's mission of fundamental biological discovery. Areas of focus include new discoveries emerging from the study of new research organisms, encompassing studies in cell biology, regenerative biology, neuroscience, sensory physiology, and comparative evolution and genomics; the study of microbiomes and microbial diversity and ecology in a variety of ocean, organismal, and terrestrial habitats; innovation in imaging and computation, illuminating cellular function and previously unknown biology; and adaptation and resilience of environmental systems and organisms in the face of global change.
Visiting (Whitman) Research: The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) hosts hundreds of researchers, postdocs, and graduate students from around the world to participate in scientific discovery courses, research, lectures, and field studies. As a convener of biology, the MBL is well known for fostering a highly collaborative environment, with scientists and students engaged in intensive research in a collegial and informal atmosphere. Whitman Center Scientists are provided with infrastructure and an informal, interactive scientific community that allows them to launch into research almost immediately upon their arrival. Advice and equipment are available from other researchers or from colleagues in the education program. Free from academic duties at their home institutions, some veteran Whitman Center Scientists report they do more hands-on research in three months at the MBL than they do during the rest of the year at their home institutions.
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) offers a wide range of scientific courses (from high school to post-doctoral level), workshops, conferences, and internships throughout the year. Central to the MBL's identity are its advanced, discovery-based courses for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. In these courses students learn from internationally renowned scientists and are immersed in the laboratory, learning cutting-edge techniques while investigating contemporary research problems. Each year, MBL advanced courses attract more than 500 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from more than 300 institutions and over 30 countries. Course directors and faculty are leaders in their fields, drawn from leading universities and research institutions around the world.