Research in COMBINE focuses on biological applications ranging in scale from the molecular to the organismal to the ecological. The primary application areas are:

• Biomolecular Networks: Fellows working in this area ask questions such as How can genomic and epigenomic networks shed light onto the evolution of gene regulation? and How can disparate types of biological interaction data be integrated to help differentiate between closely related, but still distinct, biological conditions? Faculty advisers include Corrada Bravo, Hannenhalli, Losert, Ruppin, Pop, Larson, Erwin, and White.
• Neuronal Networks: Fellows working in this area ask questions such as How do mammalian brains build their complex
  wiring patterns during development? and How do these neuronal circuits allow for sensory perception? Faculty advisers include Butts, Kanold, Plenz, Simon, and Gullapalli.
• Ecological Networks: Fellows working in this area ask questions such as How do connectivity patterns between species
  in food webs affect ecosystem robustness to environmental perturbations? and How can we develop quantitative methods for extracting useful information from minimalist biodiversity datasets? Faculty advisers include Fagan, Wilkinson, Sapkota, Lips, Marra, and Erwin.