Tribe's area of research is theoretical chemistry and condensed matter. Currently there are four general topics which she is investigating with undergraduate students: the interactions of small organic/biological molecules with clays, scattering of atmospheric atoms and molecules of liquid surfaces, dynamic properties of alloys, and visualization methods to portray theoretical results. The methods used range from developing in-house programs on local computers to using front end software packages remotely on Penn State's super computers. Professor Tribe is committed to producing quality research with her students that will be presented at national and international conferences, and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.