In the community news paragraph, we welcome a new FEMS Deputy Ambassador, highlight the ASM-FEMS Mäkelä-Cassell Travel Award 2024 selected nominee, and announce the opening of the Editor-in-Chief role for FEMS Microbiology Letters.

All the best,
Erwin (Managing Editor of the FEMS journals)

Editor-in-Chief role for FEMS Microbiology Letters is Now Open

FEMS is looking for an Editor-in-Chief to lead its flagship journal, FEMS Microbiology Letters, for a period of five years, starting in January 2025. We are seeking an Editor-in-Chief who is looking to step into a leadership role on a not for profit journal, with a broad knowledge of microbiology. The new Editor-in-Chief will work with the FEMS publications team and our publisher, Oxford University Press, to strengthen FEMS Microbiology Letters‘ focus on supporting researchers’ careers. It is an exciting time to come on board, as FEMS itself is clarifying its objectives on increasing the impact of microbiology research, and elevating the voice of European and international microbiologists globally. For more details, see this page.

FEMS Ambassador Updates

Join us in welcoming Dr Jennifer Walker as the FEMS Deputy Ambassador for the USA. She is renowned for her extensive research in molecular medicine and microbiology. Her Walker Lab at UTHealth Houston focuses on cutting-edge research aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. For more information on Dr. Walker and her work, visit her website.

Prof. Lixin Zhang, the FEMS Ambassador in China, has been elected as a Foreign Academician of the Academia Europaea. Prof. Zhang extends an invitation to the upcoming Joint Conference of the 15th Globe Industrial Microbiology Congress and the Metabolic Engineering Summit 2024. For details on the event, visit here.

ASM-FEMS Mäkelä-Cassell Travel Award 2024 for Early Career Scientist: Laura Catón

This year, FEMS has honored Laura Catón with the ASM-FEMS Mäkelä-Cassell Travel Award 2024 for Early Career Scientists, granting her the opportunity to attend ASM Microbe 2024.

Laura received the award during the In-depth Symposium ’Synthetic Biology for Natural Products Discovery and Production’ at ASM Microbe 2024, where she presented her research on ‘Flavobacterium IR1 As A Structural Colour Model Organism For Bioengineering Sustainable Colours’.

Call For Proposals: Event Organizers for International Microorganism Day 2024

Get ready to celebrate International Microorganism Day on 17 September 2024 by organizing your own event! We invite individuals and organizations to join us in raising awareness about the vital role of microorganisms in human health, agriculture, the environment, and more. Submit your event proposal to be featured on the IMD website, with updates posted on the 1st of each month (1 July, 1 August, and 1 September) leading up to the big day.