Over the last two decades, there has been a significant surge in interest in the fundamental aspects of bacterial and archaeal structure and function, driven by advances in fluorescence and cryo-EM imaging. Quantitative and automated methods have brought about radical changes in the breadth and depth of questions that could be explored, while genome sequencing and genetic methods such as CRISPR-Cas9 and Tn-Seq have greatly expanded the range of organisms that can be studied incisively, enabling comparative studies of processes such as growth, morphogenesis, and division, across diverse prokayotic phyla. Many of these prokaryotic cell biology systems are being successfully reconstituted using purified components, leading to the discovery of molecular mechanisms underpinning cellular functions. The conference will bring together presentations that illustrate the application of advanced cell and molecular biology methods to a wide range of fundamental functions in prokaryotic cells. Advances in understanding the fundamentals of bacterial and archaeal structure and function also create opportunities for the development of novel approaches to kill pathogens or modulate the growth and behaviour of synthetically engineered strains.

Key Sessions

• Advances in Nanoimaging
• Cell Envelope Dynamics and Division
• Cell Growth and Cell Cycle
• Cell Shape and Morphogenesis
• Genome Organization, Replication, and Expression
• Spatial Organization of Cellular Structures

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Sonja-Verena Albers (University of Freiburg)
Buzz Baum (LMB - Cambridge)
Georgina Benn (University of Oxford)
Thomas Bernhardt (Harvard University)
CONTROL OF POLAR CELL ELONGATION IN ACTINOBACTERIA
Tanmay Bharat (University of Cambridge)
STRUCTURE AND ASSEMBLY OF PROKARYOTIC S-LAYERS
Alex Bisson (Brandeis University)
Ariane Briegel (Institut Pasteur)
Yves Brun (Université de Montreal)
Jeff Errington (The University of Sydney)
Simon Foster (University of Sheffield)
Séamus Holden (University of Warwick)
Georgia Isom (University of Oxford)
Christine Jacobs-Wagner (Stanford University/HHMI)
Geraldine Laloux (UC Louvain)
Jan Lowe (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
Nika Pende (University of Vienna)
Tessa Quax (University of Groningen)
Susan Schlimpert (John Innes Centre)
Sloan Siegrist (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Victor Sourjik (Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology)
Benjamin Springstein (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
Elitza Tocheva (University of British Columbia)
Patrick Viollier (University of Geneva)
Jean-Marie Volland (UC Santa Barbara)
Anne Marie Wehenkel (Institut Pasteur)

Target Audience

The conference will attract major players in the field of prokaryotic cell biology, which comprises ~100 significant groups worldwide. It will also attract many microbiologists with a general interest in microbial cell function who would badge themselves as molecular biologists or microbial biochemists. Talks will cover a wide range of topics, and graduate trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and academic and industry group leaders will be brought up to date with the newest developments across the discipline. 

Educational Need

Prokaryotic cell biology underpins important applied research areas, such as infectious disease, antimicrobial discovery and development, and synthetic biology; however, it is rarely taught as a discipline in its own right, especially with the decline of offered degrees in microbiology. The modern discipline, which has emerged over the last 30 years, encompasses a wide range of technical methods and can be highly quantitative, covering a diversity of organisms and mechanistic problems. The conference presentations will collectively provide a comprehensive grounding in all major facets of the field, bringing new participants to the field at all levels (pre- and post-doctoral, as well as group leaders switching fields).

Although the programme has not yet been released, we are able to confirm that the conference should begin no earlier than 14:00 with opening comments on Monday 13th July 2026. The conference will conclude no later than 12:30 on Thursday 16th July 2026.