from the president

a key part of science is networking, to aid collaboration, broaden knowledge and engage with others in your field. i hope you can take advantage of the range of ways the society enables you to build your network. annual conference in april is a hub of activity where you can meet with others, as is the ecm forum summer conference in june, and the society supports and runs a number of other events throughout the year which you can take part in and where you can showcase your research.

the annual focused meeting series, which this year started in june, features events on specific areas of microbiology. the upcoming events in september and october are on arboviruses and their vectors, microbes in medicine, and antimicrobial drug discovery from traditional and historical medicine. find out more about these events in the focused meetings article of this issue. in september we will also celebrate the achievements of our young microbiologists of the year as part of our annual general meeting, which you are invited to attend. information about the finalists can be found in the young microbiologists of the year article of this issue.

the federation of infection societies conference 2019, which the society is hosting this year in edinburgh, collaborating with 16 societies, is another fantastic opportunity to showcase your research if you work in infectious disease and clinical microbiology. read more about this event in the fis 2019 article. the society is also organising an event with the healthcare infection society to build links between academics and clinicians.

my roadshow events will be in dublin in october, and plymouth and reading in november. these events bring microbiologists together in their local area to meet other members and society staff and learn about forthcoming society activities to get involved in. i will be presenting at the events and i hope to see you there. book your free place.

society-supported conference grants help fund a range of events that are taking place all over the world in 2019, such as the uk cellular microbiology network: exploring the host-bacterial interface event, the pseudomonas 2019 event in malaysia and the bacterial morphogenesis survival and virulence 2019 event in south africa. the society offers funds to members who organise events, and members can also submit proposals for future focused meetings. find out more in an article later on in this issue and on our website.

annual conference 2020 in edinburgh will be a special and celebratory affair with an extended five-day programme. i am looking forward to hearing from world-renowned scientists including paul nurse from the francis crick institute, stirling churchman from harvard university and eddie holmes from the university of sydney at the fleming showcase on the first day of conference. registration for annual conference 2020 will open soon. book your place and submit your abstract if you are planning to present your research. details can be found in the annual conference article.

you can also be in our 75th anniversary celebrations in 2020 by submitting images to the microbiology images project that is currently running and by taking part to our a sustainable future project. there will also be more activities taking place during the anniversary year and further president’s roadshow events, including one in cambridge in april 2020.

in late april 2020 the society will be running a meeting in montreal in canada on candida and candidiasis. you can now submit your abstract and book your place for this event online. the 2020 focused meeting series will also be announced next month. i hope you get chance to attend one of these upcoming events to connect with your fellow microbiologists.

judith armitage

president

[email protected]