Here’s a curated list of websites offering downloadable and/or customizable templates for scientific, medical, and general graduate-school research posters — many based on PowerPoint or online design tools. 

Poster Template Resources

1. PosterNerd – Scientific Poster PowerPoint Templates

Offers a variety of downloadable PowerPoint templates (e.g., “Persuading Sapphire,” “Hypothetical Ocean”) with multiple aspect ratios and sizes suitable for scientific posters.(posternerd.com)

2. PosterPresentations.com – Free Research Poster Templates

Provides professionally designed, fully customizable PPT/PPTX templates in a wide range of standard sizes (e.g. 36×48, 48×72, A0, A1). Includes built-in color schemes and video tutorials.(PosterPresentations.com)

3. Canva – Research Poster Templates

Hosts a collection of free, customizable online poster templates, ideal for creative presentation of research findings.(Canva)

4. BioRender Poster Builder

An intuitive online tool for designing scientific research posters from scratch or via templates, with drag-and-drop components and resizing features—specifically built for scientists.(BioRender)

5. UCR (University of California, Riverside) – Research Poster Templates

Provides 48×36-inch PowerPoint templates following UCR branding and identity standards, including logo-ready designs.(School of Medicine Intranet)

6. Adobe Express – Free Research Poster Templates

Offers a range of online templates for research posters, which can be customized and edited through Adobe Express.(Adobe)

7. UFL HOBI – Academic Poster Templates

University of Florida’s HOBI department provides branded academic poster templates, complete with design tips and instructions.(hobi.med.ufl.edu)

8. Yale Libraries – Academic Poster Resources

Yale’s library guide links to various academic poster templates and alternative layout options.(Yale Library Guides)

9. WashU Medicine – Scientific Poster Templates

Washington University Medical School offers downloadable PowerPoint poster templates with size, layout, and logo options.(Marketing & Communications)

10. Slidesgo – Research Poster Presentation Templates

Provides editable templates (Google Slides, PowerPoint, Canva) including designs like “Elegant Scientific Poster,” “Medical Anatomy Poster,” “Breastfeeding Research Poster,” among others.(Slidesgo)

11. Genigraphics – Free PowerPoint Research Poster Templates

Offers free PPT templates for scientific, medical, and research posters; intended to facilitate quick and easy poster creation.(genigraphics.com)

12. UC Davis Library – MIT-Derived “Even Better Posters”

Includes five downloadable templates based on MIT’s “Even Better Poster” concept.(guides.library.ucdavis.edu)

Summary Table

Next Steps & Tips

• Choose your preferred format: PPT is widely used offline; online tools (Canva, Adobe Express, BioRender) offer more design flexibility.
• Think about branding or theme needs: University-branded (UCR, UFL, WashU) or institutional identity-specific templates are helpful if required.
• Mind the size requirements: Match the template dimensions (e.g., 48×36, A0) to your conference or poster session specs.
• Use tutorials when available: PosterPresentations.com and others include helpful guidance to ease the design process.

By choosing the right size and layout, your poster will look professional and meet conference expectations. Learn more about sizes and layouts form our previous blog post, Standard Poster Sizes for Academic & Medical Conferences in the U.S.

At Bay View Exhibits, we specialize in 4×6 and 4×8 poster display board rentals. No matter what size poster you choose, we’ve got you covered.