The world is made up of complex systems, from power grids and neural networks to fish migration and microbial communities. Researchers at WID work to characterize, model, and understand such systems to make advances in medicine, agriculture, technology, the environment, and more.
Systems Biology
We use computational and mathematical tools alongside laboratory studies to understand interactions within complex biological systems.
Microbiome
We study the communities of microorganisms that live on or in people, plants, soil, oceans, and the atmosphere and which influence human health and ecosystems.
Multi-Omics
We are working to manage and utilize massive biological data sets to understand gene regulation, cellular reprogramming, precision medicine, and more.
Data Science
From fundamental mathematics to optimization and machine learning, our data science research is making sense of complex systems.
Complex Systems Faculty
See all WID Faculty
Complexity underlies nearly all research at WID. Our faculty study diverse systems, from power grids to microbial communities and everything in between. Below are some of the WID faculty working on complex systems.
Alberto Del Pia
Industrial & Systems Engineering
John Denu
Biomolecular Chemistry
Michael Ferris
Computer Sciences
Jo Handelsman
Plant Pathology
Laurent Lessard
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Sushmita Roy
Biostatistics & Medical Informatics
Daniel Pimentel-Alarcon
Biostatistics & Medical Informatics
Claudia Solís-Lemus
Plant Pathology
Thomas Rutherford
Agricultural & Applied Economics
Karen Schloss
Psychology
John Yin
Chemical & Biological Engineering
Xuehua Zhong
Laboratory of Genetics
Handelsman Talks Soil on Podcast & WUWM
WID News
WID Director Jo Handelsman shared a conversation on Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda and on WUWM about soil and microbes.
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New Tool Predicts Three-Dimensional Organization of Human Chromosomes
Featured Science
WID researchers have developed a computational tool that can accurately predict the three-dimensional interactions between regions of human chromosomes.
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Lifelike Chemistry Created in Lab Search for Ways to Study Origin of Life
Featured Science
Discovery Fellow David Baum leads a team that has cultivated lifelike chemical reactions while pioneering a new strategy for studying the origin of life.
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Data Scientists Unite Research and Policy in New Project
Wisconsin Stories
A new data science project, "WEREWOLF", puts powerful modeling tools into the hands of Wisconsin policymakers to create the energy systems of tomorrow.
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Deep in the Weeds
Featured Science
Xuehua Zhong's close study of an ordinary plant's cellular mechanisms could lead to big advances in agriculture and medicine. Zhong is featured in Grow magazine.
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Fall ‘Crossroads’ Topics Include Trade Policy Models, Climate Change and More
WID News
The fall Crossroads of Ideas series kicks off in the Discovery Building on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 pm. WID researchers will be featured throughout the fall series.
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