Featured Sessions
Check out all sessions ASM Microbe 2025 has to offer.
Opening General Session
Join us for the Opening General Session of ASM Microbe 2025, where we kick off with welcome remarks from ASM President Theresa Koehler, Ph.D. and a society update from ASM CEO, Stefano Bertuzzi, Ph.D., MPH. The program includes recognition of the American Academy of Microbiology 2025 awardees and fellows, followed by an engaging interview with the 2025 ASM Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Susan Weiss, Ph.D., conducted by Brenda Hogue, Ph.D. The session concludes with a featured scientific presentation by Margie Lee, DVM, MS, Ph.D., Virginia Tech.
Don't miss this dynamic session with highlights on ASM activities and a distinguished lineup of speakers showcasing the forefront of microbiology!
Stefano Bertuzzi, Ph.D., MPH
CEO
American Society for Microbiology
Susan Weiss, Ph.D.
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Microbiology; Co-Director, Penn Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens
ASM Lifetime Achievement Awardee
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Brenda Hogue, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Life Sciences; Associate Faculty, Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Margie Lee, DVM, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies; Interim Director, Animal Cancer Care and Research Center Professor
Keynote Speaker
Virginia Tech, College of Veterinary Medicine
ASM President’s Forum:
Exploring the Intersection of Machine Learning and Scientific Research in Microbiology
The 2025 ASM President’s Forum will highlight how artificial intelligence is transforming microbiological discovery. Following opening remarks by ASM President Theresa Koehler, the session will feature 3 leading researchers who will explore cutting-edge applications of AI across microbial science, from decoding genomes to drug development.
Yana Bromberg, Ph.D., will explore how AI tools—like deep learning and language models—are decoding microbial genomes to reveal functions and interactions previously hidden to traditional analysis. Cesar de la Fuente, Ph.D., will showcase how his lab is using AI to revolutionize antibiotic discovery by digitally mining biological data, rather than relying on laborious, outdated methods. Finally, Ivelin Georgiev, Ph.D., will present his team’s progress in using AI platforms to streamline and enhance monoclonal antibody discovery, overcoming the inefficiencies and limitations of conventional approaches. Join the featured speakers for an after chat on Sunday, June 22 from 10:45-11:30 a.m. PT for an opportunity to ask questions and engage in a discussion.
Theresa Koehler, Ph.D.
ASM President, Host
American Society for Microbiology
Yana Bromberg, Ph.D.
Professor, Departments of Biology and Computer Science
Emory University
Cesar de la Fuente, Ph.D.
Presidential Assistant Professor
ASM Award for Early Career Basic Research Awardee
University of Pennsylvania
Ivelin Georgiev, Ph.D.
Director, Vanderbilt Program in Computational Microbiology and Immunology; Associate Director, Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation
Vanderbilt University
Also be sure to join ASM President Theresa Koehler as she hosts this distinguished panel for an engaging and interactive discussion in our
After Chat: President's Forum session the next morning, Jun. 22 at 10:45 a.m. PT.
ASM Science & Society Lecture
Mirror Life: The Newly Recognized Risks of a Long-Standing Aspirational Goal
The ASM Microbe Science and Society lecture series spotlights emerging scientific breakthroughs and their broader implications. Each year, this keynote session explores how discoveries in microbiology can shape—and challenge—our society.
In 2025, join moderator David A. Relman, M.D. (Stanford University) and a distinguished panel, as they examine the provocative topic of mirror life—hypothetical organisms made entirely of mirror-image molecules. Once an aspirational goal in synthetic biology, recent analysis suggests that creating mirror life could pose unprecedented risks to ecosystems, humans and global health.
David Relman, M.D.
Moderator, Thomas C. & Joan M. Merigan Professor in Medicine, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology,
Standford University, Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System
Deepa Agashe, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, India
Henry T. Greely, J.D.
Professor of Law & Genetics, Director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences
Stanford Law
John Glass, Ph.D.
Professor, Leader, JCVI Synthetic Biology Group and La Jolla, CA Campus Director
J. Craig Venter Institute
- Strategies for addressing long-term risks in the life sciences.
- Ethical and moral considerations in synthetic biology.
- Societal impact, global equity and responsibility.
- The future of regulation and oversight.
Join Our Cross-Track Plenary Sessions
Microbiology From Farm to Table
Erica Majumder, Ph.D.
Convener
8:15-10:15 a.m.
Jay Lennon, Ph.D.
Scientific Program Leader, ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology Unit
8:15-8:30 a.m.
Garret Suen, Ph.D.
Who's Farming Who: How Microbes Drive Production on Dairy Farms
8:30-9 a.m.
Folarin Oguntoyinbo, Ph.D.
Maximizing the Advantages of Microbial Ecology of Fermented Foods and Beverages
9-9:30 a.m.
Kiana Frank, Ph.D.
Microbes to Meaʻai (food): Cultivating Abundance in Traditional Hawaiian Food Systems
9:30-10 a.m.
One Health—It Takes a Village
Robert Tibbetts, Ph.D.
Convener
8:15-10:15 a.m.
Bobbi S. Pritt, M.D., M.S.
Scientific Program Leader, ASM Health Unit
8:15-8:30 a.m.
Davida S. Smyth, Ph.D.
Water as a Data Source: The Role of Water Sources in Surveillance for Emerging Contaminants of Concern
8:30-9 a.m.
Christine Johnson, Ph.D.
Emerging Infectious Diseases in a Time of Accelerated Global Change
9-9:30 a.m.
Biology Across Scales: From Discovery to Mechanism
Heran Darwin, Ph.D.
Scientific Program Leader, ASM Mechanism Discovery Unit
8:15-8:30 a.m.
Cesar de la Fuente, Ph.D.
Revolutionizing Antibiotic Discovery
8:30-9 a.m.
Seema Mattoo, Ph.D.
Fic Proteins in Cell Signaling
9-9:30 a.m.
Lars Dietrich, Ph.D.
R-bodies: Miniature Javelins Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
9:30-10 a.m.