“Marburg brennt für die VAAM 2027”
Dr. Katrin Muth
Dear Microbiologists, Dear Colleagues, and Students of Microbiology,
we warmly welcome you to the Annual Conference 2027 of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) in Marburg one of the premier places in Germany to conduct cutting edge research in Microbiology. It is our pleasure to host this gathering of the German microbiology community in Marburg for the third time, following previous very successful conferences in 1989 and 2015.
The year 2027 is of particular significance for Marburg. The Philipps-Universität Marburg celebrates its 500th anniversary, and the foundation of the first chair in Microbiology at the Department of Biology by Prof Rolf Thauer was established just about 50 years ago. Today, Marburg provides a dynamic and highly collaborative, internationally visible, microbiological research environment that includes the Philipps-Universität, the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the joint research hubs SYNMIKRO and the Microcosm Earth Earley Carrer Center, as well as the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence Microbes-for-Climate, and the Microbial Nucleotide Metabolism consortium. Together, these institutions and research consortia provide a solid foundation and cutting-edge infrastructure for interdisciplinary collaboration, facilitating scientifically excellent research in the wider field of Microbiology.
Similarly, microbiological research in Germany also thrives on strong networks, close cooperation, and an open culture of scientific exchange. Thus, the VAAM Annual Conference will be more than a scientific meeting — it is a gathering of colleagues, collaborators, and friends. With the conference in Marburg, we will provide a forum across all career stages to exchange ideas, discuss recent advances, strengthening existing connections and establish new collaborations to drive Microbiology forward.
The scientific program will feature the breadth and diversity of microbial research in Germany and beyond and will provide a special stage for early career scientist. The conference’s central themes will be highlighted through plenary sessions focusing on Microbial Physiology, Climate and Sustainability, Microbial Evolution, and Microbial Cell Biology. In addition, for the first time, an entire plenary session will be dedicated to Microbes and Microbiologist in Industry, recognizing the vital role of microbial biotechnology for the German (bio)economy. The program will be complemented by keynote lectures, as well as parallel and special sessions. We intend to showcase the breadth and diversity of microbiological research and provide career and mentoring workshops.
The year 2027 also marks an important milestone for Microbiology in general: Fifty years earlier, C.R. Woese and G.E. Fox published their seminal paper describing the discovery of a third domain of life, the Archaea. Today, Archaea are not only recognized as a distinct group of microorganisms with unique properties, but they are also widely regarded as the evolutionary lineage from which all eukaryotes ultimately emerged. In recognition of the groundbreaking discovery made by Woese and Fox, the Hans Günter Schlegel Lecture at the VAAM-2027 conference in Marburg will be presented by Prof. Christa Schleper (Vienna), whose pioneering research has significantly advanced our understanding of the physiology, taxonomy, and evolution of Archaea.
Communicating the foundations of science and its major discoveries has become an important mission for learned microbiological societies. As part of this effort, we will feature a special session on microbial education and display the DFG-funded Bacteriopolis exhibition free of charge to the public in Marburg, as well as to all attendees of the VAAM 2027 conference. We warmly encourage you to visit!
We look forward to an inspiring conference filled with stimulating discussions, new perspectives, and a strong sense of scientific community. It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful and historic university town Marburg. - Let’s celebrate microbiology in all its diversity!
With our best greetings from Marburg,
Anke Becker – Erhard Bremer – Tobias Erb
(for all Microbiologist working in Marburg)
