Harm van Bakel's research is focused on applying novel genomics technologies to fundamental problems in infectious disease to understand host:pathogen interactions and the molecular basis of evolution and transmission of bacteria and viruses. His lab further applies the latest bulk-tissue, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics technologies to characterize host responses to infection/vaccination. He also uses the same transcriptomic technologies to study craniofacial development, revealing the cell types and gene-regulatory networks that govern suture development and craniosynostosis.