Batory creates integrative theories to develop tools, languages, and methodologies for software product lines, model-driven engineering, domain-specific languages, and program refactorings, with an emphasis on principles that both unify these areas and that form a practical engineering basis for automated software development. He is a leading proponent of feature-based development of software, where features are increments in software functionality. Features provide a natural modularization for automated software development as customized programs (or systems) can be specified declaratively, allowing novices to "program" like experts simply by choosing the features that they need.