On Thursday 17 May 2018, the second edition of Luxembourg Microbiology Day will take place.
This year’s Microbiology Day will be an opportunity for the Luxembourg Society for Microbiology (LSfM) to bring together its members to share their latest results and strengthen their research collaborations. More than sixty people are expected in the buildings of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in Belvaux for a day of presentations and scientific discussions.
The event will offer PhD students and confirmed researchers the opportunity to present the object of their research. The topics will be varied, demonstrating the wide variety of applications of microbiology today. In addition to biomedical research concerning the microbiome, cancer or infectious diseases, which are often the best known to the general public, applications in environmental biotechnologies aimed at the destruction of organic waste or water pollutants will be presented. This diversity is a source of inspiration for industrial partners who will also participate in the event.
Among the highlights of the day will be three guest communications. Professor Claude Muller of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) will present a summary of his work as part of his cooperation with the World Health Organisation, Professor Pau Ferrer, recently arrived from the Autonomous University of Barcelona to join the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), will highlight biotechnological applications using yeasts for the production of proteins of industrial interest, and Professor Tom Battin of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) will discuss the formation of biofilms by microorganisms.
The opening of LSfM internationally is confirmed this year with its affiliation to the prestigious "Federation of European Microbiological Societies". This internationalisation is also reflected in the participation in the "Luxembourg Microbiology Day" of microbiologists from countries other than Luxembourg.
At the national level, the past year has highlighted the importance of microbiology in Luxembourg's research landscape. The National Research Fund has distinguished several microbiologists during the "FNR Awards", including the vice president of the LSfM, Professor Paul Wilmes, and the secretary general of the LSfM, Dr. Christian Penny. In addition, the doctoral training programme "Microbiomes in One Health" received considerable financial support from the same National Research Fund.
