The “Computational Modeling in Biology” Network (COMBINE) is an initiative to coordinate the development of the various community standards and formats in systems biology and related fields. COMBINE 2025 was a workshop-style event hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

Local organizers are Elebeoba E. May and colleagues.

Workshop Location

COMBINE 2025 took place on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Pyle Center (702 Langdon St., Madison, WI), within walking distance of hotels, downtown Madison, the state capitol, and Lake Mendota. In addition to great talks, breakouts and meetings, there will be much to enjoy in Madison: food (known for the cheese and beer), football, lakes, great bike trails, museums, and one of the largest outdoor farmers markets in the USA. Many restaurants are within walking distance of campus and venue.

Schedule: COMBINE 2025 Workshop Agenda (Final)

COMBINE 2025 Participants

Participants that have registered on Eventbrite and provided consent on Google registration form.

Invited Keynotes and Plenary Speakers

1. Belinda Akpa,   University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA
2. Sasitharan Balasubramaniam,   University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
3. William Bentley,   University of Maryland-College Park, USA
4. Gheorghe Craciun,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
5. Adriana Dawes,   The Ohio State University, USA
6. Bernard de Bono,   Indiana University, USA & University of Auckland, New Zealand
7. John Denu,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
8. Anthony Gitter,   Morgridge Institute & University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
9. Jo Handelsman,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
10. Herbert Levine,   Northeastern University, USA
11. Erica Majumder,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
12. Megan Mcclean,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
13. Ion Moraru,   UConn Health, USA
14. Chris Myers,   University of Colorado-Boulder, USA
15. David Nickerson,   Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand
16. Brian Pfleger,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
17. Sushmita Roy,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
18. James Sluka,   Indiana University - Bloomington, USA
19. Lucian Smith,   University of Washington, USA
20. John Yin,   University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

Arrival and Transportation

There are several airports near Madison, Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the location of the workshop.

• Dane County Regional Airport (MSN): 6 miles from downtown, nonstop flights to major hubs.
• General Mitchell International (MKE): 80 miles east, more flight options.
• Chicago O’Hare International (ORD): 130 miles southeast, ideal for international travel
• Chicago Midway International (MDW): 140 miles southeast, budget-friendly with Southwest

Ground Transportation

Direct flights to MSN are available from major US cities (Chicago, Washington, DC). If flying into MSN you can use ride share or taxi to get to the university. If flying into airports close to Madison, WI (e.g., MKE and ORD) there are reasonably priced regional buses with stops on UW-Madison's campus.

Regional busses

Accommodations and Conference Hotels

There are two conference hotels for COMBINE 2025, UW-Madison's Union South Hotel and the DoubleTree Hotel. A block of rooms have been held and are available for workshop participants to book stays from October 19th-24th at a nightly rate of $186 USD (exclusive of taxes and any applicable fees). Reservations must be made by September 28, 2025.

• DoubleTree Hotel Downtown Madison COMBINE 2025 - DoubleTree is 0.4 miles from the Pyle Center with complimentary downtown and airport shuttle service.
• Union South Hotel COMBINE 2025 - Union South is 0.8 miles from the Pyle Center with complimentary parking.

Anti-Harassment Policies

The COMBINE community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in our meetings, email list, and other communication mechanisms in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any of these venues, including talks, workshops, parties, email lists, Twitter and other online media. Participants in our meetings and discussions violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from our mailing lists and our meetings without a refund at the discretion of the COMBINE coordinators. This policy is linked on the COMBINE website.

Child Care Availabilty & Local Resources

COMBINE 2025 does not provide child care, however local resources for short-term child care may be available through Care.com or similar services. Additional information/resources will be shared as available.

Support