I am pleased to report that our new ISME Development and Promotion Funds are being put to good use with recent regional ISME activities in the Far East (Beijing) and Latin America (Chile) where a very active network of microbial ecologists has now been established. Reports from these meetings are detailed below. We are looking forward to similar ISME activities with Ambassadors from Africa at the South African Society for Microbiology Symposium in Pretoria in April. Additional regional ISME networking activities are currently in planning for South East Asia. Nicole Webster, our ISME Ambassador, ably assisted by ISME Board Member Cecilia Alonso, has been doing sterling work, with some excellent new appointments, in expanding our cohort of ISME Ambassadors, and gathering their thoughts and ideas on how ISME can help promote microbial ecology and help young researchers in their regions. Details are below in Nicole’s Ambassador’s Report.

The ISME Executive and the Local organizing Committee for ISME17 in Leipzig have also been working hard on your behalf to complete the Scientific and Social Programmes for our Symposium in August. We will have a very strong and attractive scientific programme for you, together with a spectacular opening ceremony and accompanying social events.

Just a reminder: the deadline for Early Bird registration is 25 May. The abstracts submission for Orals is closed now but we are still open for Poster submissions. We look forward to seeing you all in the wonderful cultural city of Leipzig in August.

We are also very pleased to welcome Anastasiya Matyushkina, our new Office & Events Assistant at the ISME Office who will provide welcome support for Sarash and Sabine who continue to do a fantastic job in running the ISME Office. 

Finally it gives me immense pleasure to announce that after voting, you have elected Professor Nicole Dubilier, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany, to be the new Vice President of ISME. Nicole will take over as Vice President from Ed DeLong at the end of the ISME-17 Symposium in Leipzig, when Ed becomes President and I move into the role of Past President. Nicole is a world leader in the research field of symbiosis in which she studies ecological and evolutionary adaptations between bacteria and marine invertebrates. In addition to her stellar research profile, Nicole also brings to the ISME Executive a wealth of leadership experience in working with international societies, steering committees, conference organisations and will be a huge asset to the Society. We look forward to welcoming her to the team in August and to working with her in the coming years.

Colin Murrell - ISME President

Do not forget about our sponsorship opportunities!

We are here to provide services to you as valued member so please have a look at our sponsorship and funding programs and on our website where you can find info about:

• SOCIETY FUNDING
• AMBASSADORS PROGRAM
• DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
• PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM
• TRAVEL AWARDS ISME SYMPOSIA

A word from our ambassadors director Nicole Webster

Firstly, we would like to welcome a number of new Ambassadors that have recently joined the program including Punyasloke Bhadury from India, Luis Mejia from Panama, Romina Schiaffino from Argentina, Vishakha Raina from India, César Rodriguez from Costa Rica, Snædís H. Björnsdóttir from Iceland, Filipa GodoyVitorino from Puerto Rico and Fengping Wang from China.  A complete list of Ambassadors is available on the ISME website so please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the Ambassador for your region as they are the first point of contact for ISME support of local initiatives.

The Ambassador program has certainly been active over the past year, with a doubling of funding approved between 2016 and 2017 and 2018 kicking off with unprecedented activity!  This uptake of support really substantiates the society’s objective to provide community benefits through both local and international initiatives.  We also take this opportunity to update you on a recent ISME activity undertaken under the umbrella of both the ISME Ambassador and Development programs.  In conjunction with the ECODIM training initiative and symposium, ISME President Colin Murrell, Board member Cecilia Alonso and myself recently coordinated Ambassadors from Latin America to undertake a workshop to summarise the microbial ecology being undertaken in Latin America, identify the specific challenges they face and determine how ISME can best support them moving forward.  The meeting was an incredible success and a brief report summarising the outcomes can be found on the ISME website.  ISME will undertake a similar workshop with Ambassadors and researchers from Africa in April this year.  ISME is committed to supporting the diversity of microbial ecologists represented within our society so please don’t hesitate to contact your local Ambassador if you feel there are specific initiatives or areas where the Ambassador / Development funds could specifically assist. 


Nicole Webster - ISME Board Member

Call for Nominations for ISME/IWA Bio Cluster Award 2018

In order to recognize the importance of interdisciplinary research at the interface of microbial ecology and water/wastewater treatment, the ISME/IWA Bio Cluster has created the ISME/IWA Bio Cluster Award to reward interdisciplinary research of unusual merit in this field. This award is biennially presented. Please be aware that self-nominations are not accepted.

Deadline for Submission: 20 April 2018

How to Nominate
All IWA and/or ISME members are entitled to nominate candidates. Candidates can be senior leaders in the field, but can also be young rising stars. Nominated candidates must be members of either IWA or ISME (or both). 

To complete the nomination, please send the following materials by email to Dr. Hong Li at hong.li@iwahq.org before midnight on 20th April, 2018.

1. Nomination Form. (Please download through the link)

2. The Nominator needs to provide TWO support letters by scientists and water leaders affiliated neither with your institution nor with the institution of the nominated  candidate. (The Nominator to provide)

3. Detailed Curriculum Vitae and a complete publication list of the nominee.

The Award will be presented in front of an audience of water leaders from around the world at the upcoming IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2018, 16-21 September 2018, in Tokyo, Japan.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.