To understand the distributions of functions that natural microbial communities exhibit at different scales we employ wetlab, DNA sequencing, and computational tools. By using Omics data and integrating with multiple other high throughput technologies we are investigating the role played by microorganisms in the environment we live in. Acting en masse those microbes are responsible for large scale biogeochemical processes as well as being important for human health and disease in individuals. We use large-scale genomics experiments to characterize those microbial communities and their metabolism. In addition we are interested in characterizing the various functions of these microbial communities and the mechanisms that govern their capabilities and ​“behavior”. To study these microbial systems we implement state of the art tools including next generation DNA sequencing and computational approaches.