His research interests span the formation of the first generations of galaxies, when the universe was only a few percent of its current age, their explosive buildup through cosmic time, and their demise when star formation activity ground to a sudden halt. The world's most powerful telescopes on Earth and in space (Hubble, Spitzer, Keck, Very Large Telescope, ALMA) are used to piece together these early chapters of cosmic history; a field soon to be revolutionized by the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Together with his collaborators in United States, Europe, and Swinburne, Labbe has broken the record for the most distant galaxy numerous times.