This week, our summer undergraduate scientists shared the results of their research projects, through poster sessions and presentations. It’s incredible to see what they accomplished — and how they grew as scientists — in just a few weeks!
About us
The Life Sciences Institute explores biological processes, structures and functions at the finest scale to create impact on a global scale. We are a catalyst of discovery, combining cutting-edge tools, next-generation training, and inquisitive minds with diverse expertise and a shared purpose. With our multidisciplinary, collaborative approach, we bring together some of the most respected research programs in the world to push science forward with passion, energy, and urgency. From our work in chemical and structural biology to our breakthrough research in neuroscience and physiology, our ambitious pursuits lead us to ask big questions and demand bigger answers. Our next-level tools and research cores — including a high-throughput screening center, a unique natural products library and drug discovery core, and world-leading structural biology resources — advance new discoveries within the LSI and across the research enterprise of the entire university. And with a pipeline of educational programs for scientists from the high school through postdoctoral levels, we are preparing the next generation of scientific leaders.
- Website
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http://lsi.umich.edu
External link for U-M Life Sciences Institute
- Industry
- Research Services
- Company size
- 201-500 employees
- Headquarters
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Founded
- 1999
- Specialties
- basic science, biology, chemistry, natural products, and research
Updates
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U-M Life Sciences Institute reposted this
Join researchers from around the world to learn how LabGym (www.labgym.org), an open-source AI-powered software suite for automated animal behavior analysis, is being used across diverse species.
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Over 20 high school teachers spent their day at the LSI, gaining relevant experiences to enrich their STEM curricula. The UM-SCECH participants visited LSI research cores to learn about cutting-edge research techniques, heard testimonials from current U-M students regarding high school experiences that impacted their STEM persistence, and workshopped new ideas for hands-on STEM activities in the high school classroom. This event was supported by the University of Michigan's Life-Changing Education Initiative.
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A new National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Cloud Laboratory aims to shed light on “chemical dark matter” by leveraging AI tools to solve chemical structures more efficiently. LSI faculty member Alison Narayan is lending her expertise in biocatalysis and enzyme-mediated synthesis to this multi-institutional effort, led by Caltech. "As a biocatalysis lab, a common bottleneck for my research group is identifying the structure of the products that we can make in enzymatic reactions," Narayan said. "We are eager to bring our data from high-throughput experiments to help inform the development of these AI-based models and for the opportunities that ELECTRA presents in solving chemical structures." https://lnkd.in/gz_WBreE
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U-M Life Sciences Institute reposted this
Clements Library x Life Sciences Institute crossover! PhD student Aidan Cosgrove loved our exhibit "Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning" so much that he brought one of our balloons back with him to the Alison Narayan Lab! 🎈 Aidan complimented the quality of the balloons and their capacity to hold the various gases he works with in his research. 🥼 Visit the Clements Library weekdays between 12-4 pm to view our exhibit “Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America” in person, or view the extended online exhibit here: https://myumi.ch/w928X
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U-M Life Sciences Institute reposted this
Congratulations to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐩 on being named the 𝑬𝒅𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝑽𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒋𝒔 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the University of Michigan and chemical biology! This is among the most notable honors awarded to U-M faculty. Professor Mapp is an internationally respected leader in chemical biology, especially known for her work in dissecting and targeting dynamic cellular machines. She has also made lasting contributions to graduate and undergraduate education. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_Hdh2tz
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U-M Life Sciences Institute reposted this
Experts from University of Michigan Engineering and The University of Toledo are investigating whether airborne toxins from Lake Erie's harmful algae blooms are a risk to public health. Allison Steiner, a U-M professor of University of Michigan Climate and Space, is creating computer simulations that estimate when and where waves will aerosolize toxins, and where they will be carried by the wind. The simulations could lay the groundwork for predictive models that warn people near the lake when blooms decrease air quality. The data that will inform Steiner's simulations come from: Andy Ault, a U-M professor of Michigan Chemistry. He collects lake spray aerosols in the field and lab to help determine the size of the aerosols that contain toxins. The data helps the researchers infer how far toxins can travel through the air and into lungs. Gregory Dick, a professor at U-M Earth & Environmental Sciences. He uses genome sequencing to determine which cyanobacteria are present in the lake, and how their potential to produce toxins changes throughout the summer and fall. Dick is also a co-director of the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, a multi-institutional organization that funds the research. David Kennedy, a professor at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences and co-director of the Great Lakes Center for Fresh waters and Human Health. He is leading a team that collects aerosols by towing an air-sucking trailer through Toledo's streets. The mobile lab sucks in large volumes of air, trapping any aerosols on filters. They visit several locations near Lake Erie three times a week during the summer and more occasionally in the spring and winter. Kennedy is also leading a community health study that has been tracking symptoms in volunteers from three Ohio counties near western Lake Erie since 2024. In the study, participants donate blood, urine and breath samples, and undergo a series of tests to measure lung strength. Additional health data comes from: David H. Sherman, a University of Michigan College of Pharmacy professor of medicinal chemistry and microbiology and immunology. His lab isolates and identifies which cyanobacterial toxins—and other potentially harmful molecules—are in lake aerosols and breath samples from the community health study. Steven Haller, Ph.D., an associate professor at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, is exposing donated human lung cells to lab-made and field-collected aerosols to test for toxic effects.
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Five new interdisciplinary projects will advance biocatalysis research and development at the University of Michigan, starting this summer. The projects, supported by the Biocatalysis Impact Institute, span nine research teams and five U-M schools, colleges and units. "Across these projects there is incredible potential for these teams to make meaningful discoveries and advance key technologies," says Institute Director Alison Narayan. The Biocatalysis Impact Institute is one of 10 new Impact Institutes at the university that aim to position U-M as a global leader in addressing societal challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
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The Michigan Pioneer Fellows program is seeking early-career researchers of exceptional promise in the life and biomedical sciences for its 2026 cohort. This university-spanning postdoc program is intentionally designed to launch innovative scientists into groundbreaking careers, offering a competitive stipend and benefits, robust mentorship, and discretionary funding to support research and professional development. The program includes the U-M Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Applications are due August 3, 2026: https://lnkd.in/eqXzdx_K
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We have formally welcomed our 2026 cohorts for the Aspirnaut Summer Research Internship and the Perrigo Undergraduate Fellowship programs! These two LSI programs connect rising 12th-graders (Aspirnaut) and undergraduate students (Perrigo) from across the state of Michigan to authentic, immersive research experiences in cutting-edge labs at the University of Michigan. Over the next several weeks, they will work full-time in the lab, pursuing independent research projects alongside their mentors.
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