Conference: 4th Bacterial Cell Biology Meeting

The 4th Bacterial Cell Biology Meeting (sponsored by Fusion Conferences Limited) will be held in Cancun, Mexico on February 12-15, 2023. This meeting is primarily attended by scientists from basic science background. It will bring together senior and junior researchers from broad ranging disciplines to discuss and advance our understanding of all aspects of the machinery and function of bacterial cells, with sessions on cellular structures, genome organization cell division, cell wall construction, cell development, and morphogenesis, as well as sessions on new imaging techniques for studying bacteria. The application of novel microscope and biophysical techniques, together with advances in computer simulations, has greatly increased our understanding of the biology of these cells, and a conference to share these results will disseminate this knowledge rapidly to increase basic knowledge of prokaryotic life. The training and engagement of junior scientists (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and beginning assistant professors) is a priority of the conference, along with extensive poster sessions to allow interactions between senior and junior scientists. NSF support will be used to defray registration fee and/or travel costs to allow attendance of participants from these stages of their careers, especially for members of groups historically under-represented in this field. The science presented at the 4th Bacterial Cell Biology Meeting will cover all areas of the biochemistry and cell biology of the wide variety of bacterial phyla, including talks on condensed matter in bacteria, dynamics of intracellular organization, the organization of the prokaryotic genome within the cell, and the wide range of specialized structures found in many different bacterial species, including free-living and pathogenic microbes. Leading researchers will present and discuss recent findings on the structure of these proteins, the mechanisms by which bacteria maintain and grow critical structures and the genome. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.