About

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LSi scientists working in the lab
Inquisitive minds. Inspiring discoveries.

The Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan exists to accelerate scientific possibilities in order to unleash new treatments, novel advances, and profound human impact. We are a catalyst of discovery, combining cutting-edge tools, next-generation training, and inquisitive minds with diverse expertise and a shared purpose.

With a culture of academic freedom and research excellence, we embrace a fundamental knowledge of living systems at the level of the structure and function of biological molecules and cells to unleash maximal impact on the advancement of human health and well-being. 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. Demand bigger answers. Push new techniques. And multiply our effect with our engaged community across campus and beyond. 

Our world-class faculty members hold joint appointments both at the LSI, where their labs are located, and within departments at the U-M Medical School, School of Dentistry, College of Pharmacy, College of Engineering and College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. 

With our multidisciplinary, collaborative approach, we push science forward with passion, energy and urgency.

Our Facility

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Housed in Mary Sue Coleman Hall, the LSI sits at the nexus between the main campus and the medical campus.

Established by the U-M Board of Regents in 1999, we opened the doors of our 230,000-square-foot building in 2003. In 2021, the building was renamed Mary Sue Coleman Hall in honor of U-M President Emerita Coleman.

The LSI is outfitted with open, interconnected laboratories to allow for maximum cross-pollination of ideas. The facility is home to an advanced high-throughput screening facility, as well as ​a ​​comprehensive ​​cloning ​​and ​​macromolecular ​​X-ray crystallography​ center. Both are open to investigators from across the campus and beyond. The LSI also houses a world-class cryo-electron microscopy laboratory. We also administrate campuswide programs like the U-M Program in Chemical BiologyMichigan Drug Discovery and the Michigan Pioneer Fellows.

Our Students & Trainees

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At any given time, more than 100 trainees are working in LSI labs.

We are committed to attentive mentorship of our junior faculty, postdocs and students, and to creating a climate for success that embraces everyone in our community.

At any given time, about 150 undergraduate and graduate students are working at the LSI and making meaningful contributions to the institute’s discoveries. And 50 postdoctoral research fellows are preparing to launch independent careers.

Our alumni have gone on to coveted positions in both academia and industry: Baylor, Purdue, Case Western, University of Washington, University of Michigan, MIT, Peking University, the Mayo Clinic, Genentech, AbbVie — to name just a handful.

For more than a decade, we’ve run an immersive summer fellowship program for undergraduate students from across the state. And more recently, we’ve increased our outreach to high school students in an effort to grow and diversify the future bioscience research pipeline.

Our goal is to train not just the next generation of scientists, but the next generation of scientific leaders.

LSI By the Numbers

25
Principal Faculty Members
$22M
Annual Research Revenue
13
Academic Departments Across Campus Where Faculty Hold Joint Appointments
4
National Academy of Medicine Members
4
National Academy of Sciences Members
5
American Academy of Arts & Sciences Members