Biomimicry at the University Level

Biomimicry is rapidly spreading and growing in academic institutions all over the earth! Professors, instructors, researchers, and students -- inspired by nature -- are creating innovative ways to teach, learn, and use biomimicry at universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. Explore the growing list of academic institutions that are integrating biomimicry into their teaching and research programs.

Institutions in the United States:

Aquinas College, Center for Sustainability
Biomimicry is utilized as a foundation text in the "Industrial Ecology" course taught by Matthew Tueth and a required course in Sustainable Business. Deborah M. Steketee has also utilized biomimicry in a management level Industrial Ecology course. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Executive Director, Center for Sustainability

Auburn University, College of Architecture, Design and Construction
Auburn offers a third year interior architecture studio that is working with InterfaceFLOR and David Oakey on designing a new InterfaceFLOR Customer Service Center. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Biomimetics Network for Industrial Sustainability (BIONIS)
To promote the application of Biomimetics (Design Inspired by Nature) in products and services and its use in education and training.Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , BIONIS co-ordinator

California College of the Arts
The College offers a course entitled "Applied Biology for Designers and Artists". The goal of the course is to introduce students to the basic concepts of biology and relate these concepts directly to design and artistic work using the field of biomimicry. Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

California State University - Northridge , Biology
Janet Kubler teaches an on-line course called "Biology Taught Functionally". Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Georgia Institute of Technology, Center for Biologically Inspired Design (CBID)
CBID staff drawn from two institutes (Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory), five colleges (College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Architecture, Ivan Allen College, and College of Computing) and 14 schools. CBID is developing undergraduate and graduate programs in biologically inspired design at Georgia Tech. Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Professor, School of Biology, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Associate Professor, School of Biology, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Professor, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Associate Professor, School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Milwaukee Institute of Arts & Design
Contact: John Caruso

Minneapolis College of Arts and Design
Offers an on-line course called "Biomimicry for Designers" taught by Dayna Baumeister of The Biomimicry Guild. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Onondaga Community College
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it teaches an ecological building course based on biomimicry. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Southern California Institute of Architecture - Design Studio
Ilaria Mazzoleni (faculty) is teaching a course called Biomimicry: Innovation in Architecture Inspired by Nature (AS3304)[1]. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stanford University, Bio-X
The Stanford University Bio-X program supports, organizes, and facilitates interdisciplinary research connected to biology and medicine. The program operates across the Schools of Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Earth Sciences and the School of Law. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of Bio-X Programs & Operations.

State University of NY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it teaches an ecological building course based on biomimicry. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of California at Berkeley, Bioengineering
Biomimetic Engineering: Engineering from Biology. This graduate course, taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department, is cross-listed with Berkeley's Integrative Biology Department and the Bioengineering Department. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of Berkeley Composites Laboratory

University of California at Berkeley, Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research
The Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research will lead the development of a new field of Integrative Systems Biomechanics and train the next generation of integrative biologists. To extract principles in biology that inspire novel design in engineering and train the next generation of scientists and engineers to collaborate in mutually beneficial relationships. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director.

University of California, Berkeley, Integrative Biology Department: IB 296 "How Would Nature Do That?" a graduate seminar in bio-inspired design. This is a project-based, interdisciplinary course for business, design, science and engineering students, supported by faculty from the Haas School of Business, the College of Natural Resources and the Integrative Biology Department. Contact: Tom McKeag, course moderator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

University of Maryland, Mechanical Engineering Department
Developing Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curriculum to cover the design and manufacturing technologies and analysis principles that are needed to develop bioinspired products and devices. Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Minnesota, College of Design
Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Assistant Professor of Architecture, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director, Center for Sustainable Building Research.

University of Montana, Environmental Studies
Cindy Gilbert , Director of University Education at The Biomimicry Institute, piloted the first interdisciplinary biomimicry survey course Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature during fall semester 2007. Visit our curricula page to download course materials and to see examples of student work from this course. For more information about this course please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Montana, Environmental Studies
College of Technology Instructor, Lisa Swallow, incorporates readings from Janine Benyus'  book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature into her annual spring course offering Sustainable Business Practices. Her course synopsis says it all, "Are you intrigued by all the press covering green business, corporate social responsibility and business ethics?  If you have wondered how all the dialogue surrounding topics such as climate change, biomimicry, globalization, fair trade, alternative energy and “buy-local” will impact the future of business – this course is for you.  We will explore how sustainability-driven innovation is energizing many companies to change their business model to meet the challenges and opportunities of the new Clean Tech/Green Tech era.  An action learning project with local businesses committed to sustainability takes classroom concepts into the community." 

University of Montana, Management & Marketing
Jakki Mohr, Professor of Marketing (Jeff and Martha Hamilton Distinguished Faculty Fellow), teaches two courses that introduce biomimicry to her students. She has incorporated biomimicry lectures into both the undergraduate (Principles of Marketing) and graduate level (Marketing of High Technology Products and Innovations). She is also about to publish the 3rd edition of her marketing and business textbook Marketing of High-technology Products and Innovations which will incorporte a section on applying biomimicry to the fields of business and marketing in the 2008 edition. This textbook has already achieved international acclaim and is used as a primary source in business and marketing classrooms worldwide.

University of Montana, Biological Sciences
Animal behaviorist and Professor of Biology, Erick Greene, introduced biomimicry into University of Montana's introductory biology course, Science of Life, during spring semester 2008. He collaborated with The Biomimicry Institute to incorporate biomimicry into laboratory work and a take home assignment. Visit our curricula page to see the learning materials that were used in his labs or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of University Education for TBI.

University of New Mexico, School of Architecture
Teaching biomimicry as part of a course called Sustainable Design. The students conduct a biomimic design project using the local ecosystem to inform their design solutions. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Illinois, Chicago, School of Architecture, College of Architecture and the Arts
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Assistant Professor

Institutions abroad:

Central European University, Environmental Sciences & Policy Dept. (Hungary)
Illustrating examples of value of nature to human societies as a component of "Conservation & Biodiversity" course. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Curtin University of Technology (Australia)
The Ecomimicry Project has two study areas: The Great Southern coastal region of Western Australia and the Carpathian Mountain region of Eastern Europe. The aim is to draw inspiration from the unique ecology of these regions and then design technologies, landscapes and artworks based upon local wildlife and local ecological settings.Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dalhousie University, School for Resource and Environmental Studies and Eco-Efficiency Centre (Canada)
Conducting research on industrial parks as ecosystems, scavengers and decomposers in industrial systems, ecological functions in industrial systems such as engineered wetlands and promotion of eco-design. Developing capacity in LCA of food systems. Teaching a graduate course in Industrial Ecology which includes a session on biomimicry. Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Eötvös Roland University, Chair of Biological Physics (Hungary)
Offers a one semester lecture on "Bio-inspired Materials". Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Imperial College London: Institute of Biomedical Engineering (UK)
The human body is a significant application area for technology and, under the research theme of bionics, we are applying the techniques and understanding of engineering to applications which will improve human health. We are developing low power electronics, in collaboration with researchers in nanotechnology systems, biological and materials science, to enable us to better understand and manipulate the interactions between biology and man made materials. Contact: Chris Toumazou, Research Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , PA to Research Director

National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture (Singapore)
Industrial Design, School of Design and Environment. As part of his PhD, Carlos Montana proposes a course founded on ..."an integrated and holistic approach to bio-inspired sustainable industrial design teaching". Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Visiting Fellow

Ontario College of Arts & Design (Canada)
OCAD is offering two undergraduate studio courses in biomimetics. The first course provides a practical overview of the principles and current key issues related to biomimetics. The second course provides students with the opportunity to apply biomimetic principles to the design of innovative products, structures or systems. Contacts: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Presov University at Presov (Slovakia)
The Ecomimicry Project has two study areas: The Great Southern coastal region of Western Australia and the Carpathian Mountain region of Eastern Europe. The aim is to draw inspiration from the unique ecology of these regions and then design technologies, landscapes and artworks based upon local wildlife and local ecological settings. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Queens University, Civil Engineering, Kingston (Canada)
Master's thesis for an engineering option called Humanitarian Engineering. First year course in the Faculty of Applied Science. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , MSc Eng Candidate

Shandong University (China)
Establishing "Biomimicry/Bioinspired Technology/Bionics" as a key areas for research. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Directora, Cátedra Andrés Marcelo Sada en Conservación Desarrollo Sostenible, Profesora Investigadora, Centro de Calidad Ambienta

Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Aguascalientes (Mexico)
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Dirección de carrera de Diseño Industrial Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Aguascalientes

Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico)
The Department of Architecture, through its Undergraduate Architecture and Urbanism Program, coordinated by Carolyn Aguilar-Dubose ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), includes in its syllabus a one-semester elective course in Biomimicry that includes three to four day workshops at 10 different Mexican ecosystems.  The name of the course is Arquitectura Sostenible, led by Raul de Villafranca, Architect, and Juan Rovalo, Biologist.   Biomimicry is also a part of the mandatory courses The Natural and the Built Environment and Site Analysis in the Environmental Design Cycle of the undergraduate program.  In addition to this, Biomimicry is taught as a conference topic in the Diploma course on Sustainable Design and Construction for mid-professionals.  A closing lecture is also given by a member of TBI as a kick-off to the one-week workshop visiting the Veracruz rainforest, mangrove, ecotones, deserts and high-altitude forests.  This workshop is addressed to Biomimicry end users as well as  to future trainers in this field.  At the end of June  2008, the workshop will be conducted by Denise Deluca.  Contact person:  Raul de Villafranca ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  ). 

University of Applied Sciences, Bremen (Germany)
Dept. for Biomimetics. International bachelor's degree in Biomimetics / Bionik (ISB)
flyer download. In the winter semester of 2003/04 the University of Applied Sciences initiated the International bachelor's degree in Biomimetics / Bionik, which together with the Department for Biomimetics / Bionik is integrated in the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering and Applied Sciences. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Bath: The Centre for Biomimetic and Natural Technologies (UK)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, PhD projects in Jumping robots, Adaptive fabrics, Automatic Assembly, Mimicking social insect building,"TRIZas the engineer's gateway to biomimetics",ARTIC, and "Locomotion of Nereid Worms".Course offerings include: 1-semester course in biomimetics to 4th year MEng; 1-yearMSc course in "Biomimetic and Technical Creativity" which includes a6-month project in engineering biomimetics (materials, robotics,design, etc).Contacts, links: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Director, Adrian Bowyer, William Megill, RepRap

University of Calgary, Schulich School of Engineering (Canada)
Teaching biomimicry as a component in the 1st year Engineering Design and Communication class. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Jilin (China)
Has the Key Laboratory for Terrain-Machine Bionics Engineering and active programs in both teaching and research.

University of Medicine and Pharmaci "Gr.T.Popa" of Iasi, Biomaterials Science (Romania)
Biomaterials Science: the course of Biomimetic biomaterials and technologies. Biomimetic Engineering. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Professor of Biomaterials, Phd

University of Reading, Centre for Biomimetics (UK)

University of Toronto, Biomimetics for Innovation and Design Laboratory (Canada)
The BIDlab is affiliated with the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. Biomimetic Design, BIDLab Rationale. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Associate Professor

Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Architecture and Design (New Zealand)
Sustainable Architecture ARCH222: Topics covered include: resource conservation, working with climate and natural systems, alternative energy and construction, healthy, healing and regenerative architecture, permaculture, biomimicry, bioclimatic architecture, and green design. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Assistant Lecturer

University of Wollongong (Australia)
Faculty of Education: helping teachers and students learn how to apply the conditions of natural learning to their own classroom K-University. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Vienna University of Technology, Department for Design and Building Construction (Austria)
Offers a lecture series in Biomimetics, and design programs. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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