October 2, 2023

The latest edition of the Microbiology Society’s podcast, Microbe Talk, is now online. In this episode, our Policy and Engagement Officer Katie chatted to Professor Hilary Lappin-Scott OBE, President of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), about her career so far, the importance of collaboration in science and our recent re-association with Horizon Europe. 

October 2, 2023

1 October is International Day of Older Persons and this year’s theme is ‘Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations’. One of our long-standing members, Alison Parker, born in 1933, has shared insights into her upbringing and career journey as a microbiologist. Alison also captures the positives that come with getting older and differentiates lab technologies, from then and now.

September 28, 2023

The Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Prize is awarded by the Society each year. The prize recognises and rewards excellence in science communication by a Microbiology Society member who is a postgraduate student or postdoctoral researcher, having gained their PhD in the last two years. In the lead up to the final, taking place on 3 October 2023, we will be getting to know each of the finalists in this blog series.

September 27, 2023

Professional development for early career researchers helps to drive the process of science by giving researchers an opportunity to disseminate their research, get feedback and learn about new research tools and ideas. Professional development events play a vital role in equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in their careers.  

One of our Champions, Dr Michael Ukwuru, was awarded funding through the Society’s Champions Scheme and used it to organise a Microbiology Career Guide in Idah, Nigeria, for undergraduate students. This event offered valuable insights into the world of microbiology and provided a platform for students to explore diverse career opportunities. Below, Michael provides the highlights from the event and advice on organising successful professional development events. 

September 27, 2023

Each month, the Microbiology Society publishes the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM), which details newly discovered species of bacteria, fungi and protists. Our ‘New to Science’ blog explores the latest discoveries of microbiological discoveries highlighted in IJSEM.   

In celebration of the Microbiology Society delivering ‘What’s in a Name? Fit-for-purpose bacterial nomenclature’ as part of its Focused Meetings programme in 2023 we thought that we’d share our favourite additions from each of this year's ‘New to Science’'.

September 27, 2023

Bhavya Papudeshi takes us behind the scenes of their latest publication, 'Host interactions of novel Crassvirales species belonging to multiple families infecting bacterial host, Bacteroides cellulosilyticus WH2 published' in Microbial Genomics.

September 26, 2023

The Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Prize is awarded by the Society each year. The prize recognises and rewards excellence in science communication by a Microbiology Society member who is a postgraduate student or postdoctoral researcher, having gained their PhD in the last two years. In the lead up to the final, taking place on 3 October 2023, we will be getting to know each of the finalists in this blog series.

September 26, 2023

Leading up to this week’s Focused Meeting “What’s in a Name? Fit-for-purpose bacterial nomenclature”, we’ve been taking a look at the most downloaded recent articles from the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) – the established journal of record for publication of novel microbial taxa.

The official publication of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes and the Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies, IJSEM welcomes high-quality research on all aspects of microbial evolution, phylogenetics and systematics. See the full scope here.

September 25, 2023

Microbial Genomics, the Open Access journal of choice for pioneering research in genomics, supports early career researchers develop skills in reviewing through mentorship on its Early Career Board of Reviewers. This pairs mentees with more experienced reviewers, who offer support and guidance on best practice for effective peer review.

Peer review is vital to publishing, refining the work of fellow researchers and ensuring integrity and credibility. Our reviewers support our work as a not-for-profit organisation, as we support and invest in the microbiology community for the benefit of everyone.

We asked both former and current mentees of the scheme to share their reflections on peer review and their experience of the Early Career Board of Reviewers.

September 21, 2023

Ian Dewar, Communication Advisor, Health & Bio Comms at Australia's National Science Agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) takes us through 'Hepatobiliary organoids derived from leporids support the replication of hepatotropic lagoviruses' published in Journal of General Virology.