The Bacterial Adaptation and Response Networks Research Group includes members from the departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Microbiology & Immunology and Zoology. This group comprises individuals with experience and expertise in a broad range of disciplines, including biochemistry, bioinformatics, chemistry, genetics, genomics, microbial ecology, microbial physiology, and structural biology. The common thread linking all of the group members is investigation of how bacteria adapt and respond to their environments. The environments studied are diverse, including such different examples as the human host for pathogenic bacteria and soil environments. However, there are common molecular mechanisms of adaptation and response to these diverse environments. Thus, group members share common research approaches.

Further, understanding gained from the study of one adaptation or response network is applicable to others. Adaptation and response mechanisms of particular interest to this group include, (1) genetic regulatory networks, (2) transport of molecules across membranes and cell walls and (3) horizontal gene transfer. Investigations of these fundamental mechanisms benefit from great intellectual and infrastructural synergy. Further, these fundamental mechanisms also occur in multicellular organisms, making bacteria excellent experimental systems for developing broadly applicable knowledge.