Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Name	Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Abbreviation	SMBE
Formation	1993
Headquarters	Austin, Texas
Leader title	President
Leader name	Charles F. Aquilino
Membership	Professional and student members
Website	smbe.org

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution is an international learned society dedicated to the study of molecular evolution, phylogenetics, population genetics, and comparative genomics. Founded in the early 1990s, the society brings together researchers from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Society to advance research through meetings, journals, and awards. Its activities intersect with organizations including National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

History

The organization emerged from gatherings of investigators influenced by work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, National Center for Biotechnology Information, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, and University of Oxford. Early leaders included scientists affiliated with University of California, San Diego, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Michigan, and University of Texas at Austin. The society developed in parallel with key projects and events such as the Human Genome Project, the rise of Next-generation sequencing, the establishment of GenBank, and conferences at Society for Neuroscience venues. International partnerships were fostered with groups like European Society for Evolutionary Biology, International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and regional meetings hosted in cities such as Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, and São Paulo.

Mission and Membership

The mission emphasizes promotion of research in molecular evolution, support for early-career investigators, and dissemination of computational and empirical advances from centers including Broad Institute, Sanger Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Riken, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Membership spans professors from Columbia University, postdocs from University of California, San Francisco, students from University of Toronto, and industry researchers from companies like Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Genentech. The society collaborates with funding bodies including European Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and national academies such as National Academy of Sciences and Royal Society.

Meetings and Conferences

Annual meetings draw attendees from institutions including Princeton University, Cornell University, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania and feature sessions on topics influenced by projects like 1000 Genomes Project, ENCODE Project, Phylogenetic Trees, and Molecular Clock analyses. Satellite and regional meetings have been organized in partnership with Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution-friendly venues at Barcelona, Vienna, Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Montreal, and coordinated with societies such as Genetics Society of America, American Society for Microbiology, and International Society for Computational Biology. Workshops target software and methods developed at labs like EMBL-EBI, Janelia Research Campus, Sanger Institute, and Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Publications

The society publishes flagship peer-reviewed journals operated by publishers connected to Oxford University Press, and editorial boards include editors from University of Edinburgh, University of Washington, University of Oxford, University of California, Davis, and Duke University. Journals cover empirical and theoretical work in areas driven by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Special issues have highlighted topics influenced by initiatives such as Comparative Genomics, Metagenomics, Transcriptomics, and Proteomics, and have featured contributions from authors associated with Yale University, Brown University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Penn State University.

Governance and Awards

Governance is carried out by an elected council and officers drawn from universities such as University of California, Los Angeles, Washington University in St. Louis, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and University of Melbourne. The society confers awards and fellowships named for prominent figures and institutions linked to Nobel Prize, Lasker Award, Mendel Medal-style recognition, and career stages represented by prizes honoring work associated with Motoo Kimura-inspired theory, Theodosius Dobzhansky-style contributions, and computational advances from labs like Richard Dawkins' group-adjacent researchers. Travel awards, early-career prizes, and lifetime achievement recognitions have been presented to scientists from University of Zurich, University of Basel, ETH Zurich, Karolinska Institute, and University of Helsinki.

Outreach and Education

Education and outreach initiatives partner with museums and institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, London, Los Alamos National Laboratory outreach programs, and university public engagement units at University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Queensland, Seoul National University, and University of Cape Town. The society supports training in computational tools developed at EMBL-EBI, NCBI, Galaxy Project, and Rosalind Franklin Institute, and coordinates with summer schools and workshops run by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, EMBL, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and Santa Fe Institute.

Category:Scientific societies Category:Organizations established in 1993