Research
Rooted in the common language of information, WID's eight research areas discover new theoretical and laboratory approaches to 21st-century problems. Explore our research areas below or examine our WID research publications.
-
BIONATES
BIONATES researchers engineer biologically functional polymer and tissue scaffold environments to support cell growth, guide cell behavior, promote tissue regeneration and deliver life-saving drugs.
-
Center for Complexity & Collective Computation
The mission of C4 is to discover the information processing, regulatory and computational principles underlying the emergence of societies of cells and organisms in the history of life on Earth.
-
Core Computational Technology
Acting as a connecting fabric across the Discovery building, the UW–Madison campus and the world, CCT develops computing frameworks and provides cyber tools to support WID’s data-intensive research.
-
Epigenetics
Epigenetics examines how the epigenome—the layer of chemical information that sits on top of the genome—switches genes ‘on’ or ‘off’ and is controlled by outside factors such as lifestyle and diet.
-
Games+Learning+Society
From iPad apps used in medical courses to engaging children’s video games, GLS investigates popular use of digital technologies and how they can help improve learning and public participation in science.
-
Living Environments Laboratory
The LEL works to advance the science of immersive virtual reality and design, while studying behavior and furthering health and innovative home care technologies.
-
Optimization
Optimization employs mathematical models to discover more efficient ways to control and manage systems, ranging from radiation treatments to data centers and power networks.
-
Systems Biology
Combining mathematical modeling, computer simulations and laboratory experiments, scientists study how genes and molecules work within organisms, and how organisms evolve within diverse communities.