Convenors
Karin Jacobs, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Brajesh Singh, Western University Sydney, Australia

Invited Speakers
Joanne Emerson, University of California, Davis, United States
Karin Jacobs, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Brajesh Singh, Western University Sydney, Australia
Limei Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Convenors
Sharon Huws, Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
Mike Taylor, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Invited Speakers
Sharon Huws, Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
Morten Limborg, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Mike Taylor, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Rebecca Vega Thurber, Oregon State University, United States

Convenors
Sunil Mundra, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates
Virginia Rich, The Ohio State University, USA

About the session 
This session will highlight the cutting edge in global change microbiology research and translation, across a broad range of habitats, and including One Health for plants, animals and humans. We will hear how microbes can amplify or dampen climate change impacts via mechanisms such as carbon stabilization, pollution mitigation, and holobiont-mitigated stress tolerance. Participants will come away with new insights into the innovation and urgency in this dynamic area of microbial ecology. Join us in charting microbial roles in the trajectory of our changing planet, and approaches for enlisting these tiny but mighty allies in the challenging time ahead.

Invited Speakers
Sunil Mundra, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates
Virginia Rich, The Ohio State University, USA

Convenors
Sean Gibbons, Institute for Systems Biology, USA
Kim Handley, University of Auckland, New Zealand

About the session
What factors govern the habitat or resource preference plasticity of specific microorganisms during community assembly? This session will consider evolutionary, ecological, physical or chemical factors that influence microbial niche choice in natural or experimental systems.  Examples of topics covered include, genetic and physiological adaptations enabling niche expansion or differentiation, effects of niche selection on the physiological or genomic attributes of microbial cells, and the effects of microbial interactions on community structure and function.

Invited Speakers
Maureen Coleman, University of Chicago, USA
Sean Gibbons, Institute for Systems Biology, USA
Kim Handley, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Convenors
Stephen Giovannoni, Oregon State University, USA
Tanja Woyke, Joint Genome Institute, USA

About the session
The exploration of microbial life is entering a new phase in which maps of genomic diversity are filling with details and providing a basis for experimental studies that examine the cell biology and ecology of taxa that and consortia that are on the fringes of cultivation technology. In this symposium speakers examine the new synthesis of genomics and phenotypic characterization that focuses on phylogeny in action - the lives of unexamined microorganisms inside the systems they inhabit.

Invited Speakers
Stephen Giovannoni, Oregon State University, USA
Masaru Nobu, JAMSTEC, Japan
Mircea Podar, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
Tanja Woyke, Joint Genome Institute, USA

Convenors
Daniele Daffonchio, KAUST, Saudi Arabia
Lucy Moleleki, University of Pretoria, South Africa

About the session
The recent advancements in understanding interactions of microorganisms in all ecosystems are revealing the prominent role of microbial communities in the biology and ecology of plants as well as the complexity of the organismal interactions. The microbial-plant interface is increasingly studied for deciphering the role of microbes in the ecology and functioning of the plant metaorganism with great potential for applications in the management of plant health and agriculture crop productivity and sustainability. In this session the ecology of microbial communities associated to plants and their functional properties are discussed with focus on the interactions among pathogens and plants as well as on plant growth promoters capable of alleviating stresses and providing services to the plant hosts and the plant/soil ecosystem.

Invited Speakers

Daniele Daffonchio, KAUST, Saudi Arabia
Monica Höfte, Ghent University, Belgium
Lucy Moleleki, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Vittorio Venturi, ICGEB, Italy

Convenors
Jana Milucka, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Germany
Sanjay Swarup, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore

About the session
Freshwater ecosystems provide key services to human society and are central to the global water cycle. Their high vulnerability to climate change requires urgent effort in understanding the role of microorganisms in freshwater ecosystem functioning.
This session aims to bring together presentations describing taxonomic and functional microbial diversity, ecological processes, microbial role in biogeochemical transformations of carbon, nutrients and trace gases, as well as community structure and interactions in various freshwater environments. These include but are not limited to natural systems such as lakes, ponds, rivers, wetlands and groundwater, and urban systems such as reservoirs, waterways, and catchments. Contributions aiming at understanding microbial response to ecosystem alteration and recovery (e.g. changing water quality due to pollution and warming) are welcome.

Invited Speakers
Stefan Bertilsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Jana Milucka, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Germany
Sanjay Swarup, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore

Convenors
Jim He, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Weidong Kong, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

About the session
Microbial biogeography is scale dependent. The study of microbial biogeography at global and continental scales is fundamental, as it can provide large-scale microbial distribution patterns and the underpinning ecological principles that govern the patterns and their successionsacross diverse environments. This biogeographical information helps microbial ecologists to build predictive distribution maps of microorganisms and paves the way for forecasting the ecological consequences of ongoing environmental changes at global and continental scales. There is an urgent need to linking the global distribution patterns of microbial diversity, community structure, and functions with physicochemical parameters and elucidating the ecological principles at large scales. The feasibility of such large-scale investigations has been greatly enhanced by the reduced sequencing cost, advances in sequencing technology, and improvement in bioinformatics. This session will gather the latest scientific advances on the global and continental distribution patterns of microbial communities and discuss the future directions and collaborations in the field.

Invited Speakers
Cecile Gubry-Rangin, University of Aberdeen, UK
Jim He, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Weidong Kong, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Warwick Vincent, Université Laval, Canada

Convenors
Belinda Ferrari, University of New South Wales, Australia
Marcela Hernández, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

About the session
Microbes play an essential role in driving biogeochemical cycles, making them crucial for supporting ecosystem services and life on Earth. This session will focus on the microbiology of key cycles, including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur metabolism, and the microbes capable of producing and/or consuming trace gases. The talks will cover some of the most recent advances and cutting-edge methods used to study the underlying principles of complex microbial biogeochemistry spanning a wide range of environments, including marine, agricultural, polar regions, caves, and volcanoes.

Invited Speakers

Xiao-Hua Zhang, Ocean University of China, China
Marcela Hernández, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Sebastian Lücker, Radboud University, The Netherlands
Belinda Ferrari, University of New South Wales, Australia

Convenors
Sue Ishaq, University of Maine, USA
Adolphe Zeze, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d'Ivoire

Invited Speakers
Sue Ishaq, University of Maine, USA
Adolphe Zeze, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d'Ivoire

Convenors
Jon Todd, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Flora Vincent, EMBL, Germany

Invited Speakers
Anne Dekas, Stanford University, United States
Emma Rocke, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Jon Todd, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Flora Vincent, EMBL, Germany

Convenors
Daniel Read, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, United Kingdom
Yong-Guan Zhu, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

About the session
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an ever-growing threat to the health and well-being of society. The role of microbial ecology is emerging as a crucial field in the understanding of AMR dynamics and evolution. This session focuses on the ecological dimensions of AMR, where cutting-edge omic, culturing, and computational methods converge to explore resistance dissemination and evolution. This session aims to bring together presentations that reveal genetic reservoirs, transmission dynamics, and adaptive strategies of microbial communities under antimicrobial stress, across ecosystems, from clinical settings to the environment. The session welcomes contributors with an interdisciplinary focus, uniting computational biology, microbial ecology, environmental and clinical microbiology.

Convenors
Donnabella Lacap-Bugler, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Patrick Lee, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China

About the session
The biological composition of aerosols has various sources that have significant impacts to atmospheric processes as well as human and environmental health. New ways of studying this and latest technologies continually help us understand this unique microbiome. These studies have highlighted the dynamic nature of microbial diversity found across various temporal and spatial scales,  from different types of indoor/outdoor built environments and how it affects health. This session welcomes contributors on topics related to but not limited to microbiome in built environments, indoor/outdoor systems, aerobiology and health.

Invited Speakers
Erica Hartmann, NorthWestern University, USA
Donnabella Lacap-Bugler, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Patrick Lee, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
Maki Teruya, Kindai University, Japan

Convenors
Yen-Ping Hsueh, Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Laura Steindler, University of Haifa, Israel

Invited Speakers
Manuel Aranda, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudia Arabia
Yen-Ping Hsueh, Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Laura Steindler, University of Haifa, Israel

Convenors
Marla Trindade, The University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Susumu Yoshizawa, University of Tokyo, Japan

Invited Speakers
Rob Finn, EMBL-EBI, United Kingdom
Ulrike Kappler, University of Queensland, Australia
Susumu Yoshizawa, University of Tokyo, Japan

Convenors
Trent Northen, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / Joint Genome Institute, USA
Phil Pope, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway

Invited Speakers
Trent Northen, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / Joint Genome Institute, USA
Phil Pope, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
Harris Wang, Columbia University, USA

Convenors
A. Murat Eren, Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Germany
Mihaela Pertea, Johns Hopkins University, United States

About the session
Microbial ecology is living its golden age as massive data streams from molecular approaches that typically end with 'omics offer detailed snapshots of microbial life from all ecosystems of our planet. This unprecedented access to data demands microbial ecologists to find their way in complex datasets through emerging computational strategies, and orchestrate them to form and test hypotheses by typically integrating heterogeneous sources of data. Our field has made remarkable strides towards a better understanding of microbial ecology and evolution thanks to the insights afforded by big data. However, dealing with complex datasets brings its own challenges that can also lead to various undesirable outcomes that span from underutilization of data to overinterpretation of findings. Our session aims to bring together experts of computation and microbial ecology to demonstrate applications of integrated ‘omics strategies to address contemporary questions of microbiology, and foster a dialogue between the speakers and attendees through best practices in data analysis, integration, and interpretation.

Invited Speakers
Niranjan Nagarajan, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
Mihaela Pertea, Johns Hopkins University, United States
Daan Speth, University of Vienna, Austria
Iva Veseli, Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Germany

Convenors
Ramon Massana, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Spain
Alexandra Worden, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA

Invited Speakers
Ramon Massana, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Spain
Helle Ploug, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Alexandra Worden, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA

Convenors
Joana Falcao Salles, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Amy Willis, University of Washington, USA

Invited Speakers
Joana Falcao Salles, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Tessa Pierce Ward, University of California, Davis, USA
Amy Willis, University of Washington, USA
Zhong Wei, Nanjing Agricultural University, China

Convenors
Lindsay Hall, Quadram Institute, United Kingdom
Alena Pribyl, Microba, Australia

Invited Speakers
Lindsay Hall, Quadram Institute, United Kingdom
Sabina Leanti La Rosa, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
Alena Pribyl, Microba, Australia

Convenors
Rup Lal, University of Delhi, India
Evodia Setati, South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

About the session
This scientific session brings together esteemed researchers from diverse disciplines to delve into the intricate world of biotechnology, microbial diversity, genomics, and their multifaceted applications. This session promises an engaging exploration of the microbial world's contribution food security and human health, from biotechnology breakthroughs to ecological insights and applications across diverse sectors. The diverse expertise of the following speakers will undoubtedly foster enriching discussions and inspire future research directions.

Invited Speakers
Rup Lal, University of Delhi, India
Prof. Lal's impactful work encompasses diverse fields including Biotechnology, Microbiology, Genomics, and Metagenomics. Notably, he pioneered the creation of cloning vectors and a transformation system for Amycolatopsis mediterranei, an actinobacterium producing rifamycin B. The antibiotic analogue, and its derivatives developed through genetic manipulation, have proven effective against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB. Prof. Lal's group also delved into the molecular and genetic aspects of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) degradation, unveiling new bacterial species and even sequenced over 30 bacterial genomes. The metagenomic analyses shed light on microbial and viral communities at Manikaran hot springs, as well as the role of microbial diversity in HCH degradation at a polluted site in Ummari village, Lucknow, India.

Evodia Setati, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Wine microbiologist with a focus on the microbial ecology of the vineyard and wine fermentation ecosystems. Evodia explores the diversity of yeast and bacteria, their oenological traits as well as their potential as biocontrol agents against grapevine pathogens or as plant growth promoters. Furthermore, her research investigates the influence of the potential biocontrol agents on wine production.

Gustavo Santoyo, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico

Convenors
Evelien Adriaenssens, Quadram Institute Bioscience, United Kingdom
Assaf Vardi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Invited Speakers
Evelien Adriaenssens, Quadram Institute Bioscience, United Kingdom
Assaf Vardi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Chana Kranzler, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Tulio de Oliveira, Stellenbosch University, South Africa