International Society for Microbial Ecology

International Society for Microbial Ecology
Name	International Society for Microbial Ecology
Abbreviation	ISME
Formation	1998
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Switzerland
Region served	Global
Leader title	President

International Society for Microbial Ecology is a global learned society dedicated to the study of microbial communities and their roles in natural and engineered environments. The society brings together researchers, practitioners, and institutions to advance microbial ecology through research, conferences, and publications. Its activities intersect with multiple international organizations, academic institutions, and funding agencies across continents.

History

The society emerged from discussions among researchers associated with American Society for Microbiology, Royal Society, European Molecular Biology Organization, Max Planck Society, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science during the 1990s, influenced by initiatives at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Marine Biological Laboratory. Key formative meetings involved participants from University of California, Berkeley, ETH Zurich, Oxford University, Harvard University, and University of Tokyo, and were informed by earlier gatherings such as the Gordon Research Conferences and Keystone Symposia. Founding figures included scientists with affiliations to Rockefeller University, National Institutes of Health, European Commission, and Institut Pasteur. Early milestones were coordinated with agencies like National Science Foundation, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory, culminating in a formal launch at a congress that followed precedents set by the International Union of Microbiological Societies and the International Congress of Microbiology.

Mission and Objectives

The society's mission aligns with priorities set by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and World Health Organization on microbial research, ecosystem services, and public health. Objectives include promoting collaboration among members from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Peking University; advancing methods pioneered at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory; and fostering interdisciplinary work connecting laboratories like Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Smithsonian Institution. It seeks to influence policy discussions involving European Commission Horizon 2020, US Department of Energy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust by providing expertise on issues addressed at forums like COP climate conferences and meetings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Membership and Governance

Membership spans researchers, students, and industry professionals affiliated with organizations including Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, European Space Agency, NASA, Riken, and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Governance features elected officers and committees drawing on experience from Council of the European Union protocols and governance models used by International Council for Science and International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Presidents and council members have come from universities such as University of British Columbia, University of Melbourne, McGill University, Indian Institute of Science, and Seoul National University, and corporate partners have included entities like Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Roche.

Conferences and Meetings

The society organizes an international congress modeled after events such as the International Congress of Microbiology, with regional meetings that complement conferences hosted by Society for General Microbiology, Federation of European Microbiological Societies, and Asian Federation of Biotechnology. Major ISME congresses have been held in cities including Barcelona, Toronto, Vienna, Busan, and Sydney, often featuring sessions with collaborators from American Society for Microbiology symposia, satellite workshops involving Gordon Research Conferences, and joint meetings with European Molecular Biology Organization courses. Special sessions have highlighted topics central to projects at Human Microbiome Project, Tara Oceans expedition, Earth Microbiome Project, and initiatives related to Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Publications and Awards

The society publishes a flagship journal that competes with titles like Nature Microbiology, ISME Journal, Cell Host & Microbe, and Microbiome (journal), and issues position papers comparable to reports from National Academy of Sciences and Royal Society. It confers awards similar in prestige to honors from Lasker Foundation, Royal Society Croonian Lecture, and Microbiology Society prizes, recognizing contributions from investigators affiliated with Max Planck Institutes, Karolinska Institutet, Institut Pasteur, and CNRS. Editorial boards include scholars who also serve on panels for European Research Council, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Society communications appear alongside articles in periodicals such as Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and The Lancet when addressing microbial ecology's implications for global challenges.

Education and Outreach

Educational programs are delivered in partnership with universities and organizations including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and California Academy of Sciences. Outreach efforts have linked the society to initiatives like the Citizen Science Association, Global Young Academy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and museum exhibitions inspired by work at Natural History Museum, London and Victoria and Albert Museum. Training workshops target early-career researchers from institutions such as University of Cape Town, University of São Paulo, University of Nairobi, and Makerere University, and collaborate on policy briefings for stakeholders including United Nations Environment Programme and International Maritime Organization.

Category:Scientific societies