[1][2] He specializes in using mathematical modeling and empirical studies in the understanding of macroscopic patterns of ecosystems and biological diversities.
[3] At Cornell University 1965–1992, he was chair of the Section of Ecology and Systematics, and then director of the Ecosystems Research Center, the Center for Environmental Research and the Program on Theoretical and Computational Biology, as well as Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences (1985–1992).
[3] In 1992, Professor Levin published his highly cited paper, titled "The Problem of Pattern and Scale in Ecology".
He retains an adjunct professorship at Cornell, where he still has many valued colleagues, and is a distinguished visiting professor at Arizona State University.
His research interests are in understanding how macroscopic patterns and processes are maintained at the level of ecosystems and the biosphere, in terms of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that operate primarily at the level of organisms; in infectious diseases; and in the interface between basic and applied ecology.