Annual Conference 2026: Welcome from the President

At the Microbiology Society we work hard to be a friendly, nurturing and approachable community, driven on by the experience and involvement of our diverse set of members. Throughout our four days at Conference I am looking forward to hearing about your science and your ideas – please come and talk to me, my fellow Governance members, or any of the Society’s professional staff. We really welcome the opportunity to hear what’s important to you. 

This is the second year of my Presidency and by now most of you will have heard me talk about how important it is that we all support the Society as a not-for-profit publisher. During challenging times for scientists everywhere, our long-standing campaign to ‘Publish for the Community’ has never been more relevant. Every publication submitted to one of our titles enables everything we offer as a Society – grants, opportunities for networking and collaboration and events like this. Use Conference to find a home for your research with us.

I know your focus will rightly be on the fantastic science we will be hearing and seeing this week, but during the breaks, please come and talk to the staff on the Society’s stand and in the Get Involved area, where you can find out more about publishing with us and how to join us. We always need more members to be part of our governance, to nominate their colleagues for next year’s Prizes and to share their expertise via the Society’s popular channels. It’s easy to find out more; just talk to a member of the Society staff or ask one of our Champions or anyone in a governance role. We are all happy to share our experience.

Annual Conference is an inclusive environment for everyone, and we listen to and act on your feedback. Read more about how we plan to meet the needs of all of our delegates.

I look forward to talking to you this week. 
Professor Gordon Dougan FRS, President