Frequently Asked Questions

You can apply to join our governance structure by submitting an application to one of our current vacancies. Applications are then considered by an appointments process (where a panel is formed to determine the most suitable candidates) or by means of an election (where members vote on their preferred candidates).

Your application will be assessed in different ways depending on the vacancy you apply for: 

Applications to elected positions are first reviewed by an Applications Review Panel with the aim of reducing the number of applications (if necessary) while ensuring sufficient diversity in the reduced group and verifying information provided. The composition of the Applications Review Panel is as follows:  

• The General Secretary in the Chair 

• An independent Trustee 

• A representative from each of the recruiting Committees  

• A Members Panel representative 

• A representative from each of the recruiting Divisions 

Following approval of the Applications Review Panel, candidates personal statements, as provided on the application form, are entered into an anonymous ballot, which takes place in May and June every year and is distributed to the eligible voting membership. For the co-Chairs and Representatives of the Early Career Forum Executive Committee, the electorate is the members of the Early Career Forum. For the Elected Trustee, the electorate is the Advisory Council.  

Co-Chairs of strategic Committees, Division Chairs and Executive Officers (President, Treasurer and General Secretary) are appointed by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Advisory Council on the recommendation of an Appointments Panel. The composition of the Appointments Panels varies depending on the role it is tasked with considering.  

The co-Chairs and Representatives on the Members Panel are appointed by the Members Panel. The General Secretary convenes an Appointments Panel in coalition with the Members Panel co-Chairs to select the most suitable candidates. 

Read more about the Appointments Panel.

Absolutely! We are looking for people who represent the full diversity of our membership. Whilst you might not have experience of sitting on one of our Committees, Divisions or Panels, there may be other skills you can bring that make you ideal for the role. For some roles, we do urge you to discuss the requirements of the position with the relevant Chair or Chair-elect before applying, so do get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] to set that up.

Alternatively, consider applying to our Shadowing Scheme to observe a meeting and discuss the role you’re interested in with a current member.   

As an early career member, you are welcome and encouraged to apply to any vacant position. However, if you are looking to build confidence and gain insight across multiple areas of governance early in your career, the best place to start could be the Early Career Forum Executive Committee. As well as developing professional development resources for early career microbiologists, members of this Committee sit as representatives on the Society’s other Committees, Divisions and Panels to ensure that the Society’s offerings are relevant and attractive to early career members across the board. 

Read more about the Early Career Forum.

Yes, absolutely! We need people from a variety of different career stages to sit on the Advisory Council and Trustee Board.  

Yes, we accept applications in alternative formats such as video or voice recordings. Contact us via [email protected] to let us know your requirements and we will do our best to support you. 

We want to give everyone an equal opportunity to join our governance structure, whether you are new to our community or have been involved before. By anonymising candidates in our elections, we hope to ensure that people are elected based only on the skills and competencies that they can bring to the role.   

Members of the Appointments Panel are required to complete conflict of interest declarations when they first receive applications. If they know you or work with you, they will declare this to the Panel and recuse themselves from the Panel’s deliberations as necessary.  

We are in the process of gathering this information so the results are not available yet. However, information about equality, diversity and inclusion at the Society more widely is available on our website. 

You can read about the various bodies which make up our governance structure by navigating our Governance pages.  

No, anyone can apply to participate in our governance whether they are based in the UK or elsewhere in the world.  

Most of the roles on our governance structure involve attending at least one in person meeting a year in London, UK. We cover expenses for travel and accommodation up to a certain limit to enable members to attend governance meetings in person. This limit is set higher for members based outside of the UK to account for the higher cost of international travel. 

Yes, to apply for most of our governance positions you have to be either a Full, Full Concessionary, Postgraduate or Honorary Member.  

The exceptions are applicants to our Members Panel and Early Career Forum Executive Committee who can hold any membership with the Society to apply, including Undergraduate and Affiliate Memberships.

No, anyone can apply to participate in our governance including new members, though for some roles there is a requirement for some level of demonstrative commitment to the Society, which may not necessarily be via membership.