The Department of General Physiology and Biophysics was established in 1972 from the Department of Physiology, which was founded in 1910 by Academician Ivan Đaja. The first and long-standing head of the Department was Academician Radoslav Anđus (1972-1979), the founder of the course General Physiology with Biophysics, whose efforts led to the modernization of physiology teaching, introducing molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics. The teaching is also attended by Prof. Mira Pašić (Neurobiology with Neurochemistry), Assoc. Prof. Vsevolod Rajevski (General Physiology with Biophysics) and Assoc. Prof. Olivera Rajevski (Physiology of Work). Prof. Miroslav Simić from the Faculty of Medicine is also engaged for the course Immunobiology with Immunochemistry (the first of its kind at our University), as well as Dr. Zvonimir Damjanović from the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies for the course Biocybernetics. Teaching expanded in 1977 when a group of orientation subjects called Biophysics was introduced. A new subject Experimental Physiology was also introduced (Dr. Dejan Zečević and later Dr. Pavle Anđus). Three new postgraduate fields were formed: Biophysics (later General Physiology with Systems Biophysics), Neurobiology and Immunobiology. Since its establishment, after Academician Radoslav Anđus, the Department has been headed by Prof. Mira Pašić (1979-1993), Prof. Pavle Anđus (1993-1994, 1997-2000, 2003-2006), Assoc. Prof. Vsevolod Rajevski (1994), Prof. Jovo Martinović (1994-1997), Prof. Mirjana Stojiljković (2000- 2003), Prof. Nadežda Nedeljković (2006-2012), Prof. Miroslav Živić (2012-2021) and Assoc. Prof. Milena Milošević (2021-).

During the 2000s, changes occurred in accordance with the Bologna Process, but the emphasis remained on the experimental approach, the connection between molecular and physiological orientation, interdisciplinarity and practical implications. In the basic studies, two courses were formed from General Physiology with Biophysics, General Physiology and Biophysical Foundations of General Physiology. Neurobiology with Neurochemistry and Immunobiology with Immunochemistry were improved and grew into Neurobiology and Immunobiology. From the Fundamentals of Systems Biophysics, Systems Biology was created through modernization. In cooperation with the Department of Genetics and Evolution, classes in the subject Animal Behavior were organized. Experimental Physiology of Excitable Cells was transferred to graduate studies, and in 2010, the Department also took over the teaching of Physics and Bioinformatics. Doctoral studies are introduced within the Neuroscience and Immunobiology modules, and later Biophysics with Bioinformatics, as well as graduate academic studies in Biophysics, Neurobiology and Immunobiology. Within the graduate and doctoral studies, a series of courses are developed in the implementation of which, in addition to members of the Department, teachers from other institutions also participate. In cooperation with the Department of Microbiology, academic specialist studies are organized in the Immunobiology with Microbiology module.

The Department of General Physiology and Biophysics currently has 36 members and organizes teaching in 9 subjects at undergraduate level, 5 at specialist level, 12 at graduate level, and 25 at doctoral level.

The scientific work of the members of the Department is carried out within the fields of neurobiology, cellular neurophysiology and neurodegeneration, behavioral neurobiology, cellular and molecular immunobiology and inflammatory processes, theoretical and membrane biophysics and bioinformatics. With the help of a European Commission project in 2004, the Center for Laser Microscopy was established (headed by Prof. Pavle Anđus), as the scientific base of the Department. Scientific research has expanded over the years with the arrival of new teachers and associates and two new laboratories have been formed, the Laboratory of Neurobiology (headed by Prof. Nadežda Nedeljković) and the Laboratory of Electrophysiology (headed by Prof. Miroslav Živić), as well as two research groups, the Immunology Group (headed by Prof. Biljana Božić Nedeljković) and the Quantitative Biology Group (prof. Marko Đorđević). The development of the Department's scientific capacities has enabled the improvement of practical teaching, practical training of students through Professional Research Projects and experimental writing of theses. In the past ten years, members of the Department have participated in the implementation of 26 diploma, 166 master's, 31 specialist and 77 doctoral theses. In addition, members of the Department are very active in the popularization of science (numerous events, reports, studio visits and lectures), the organization of seminars, schools, mini-symposia and conferences. In the past ten years, members of the Department have participated in the implementation of 49 projects.