International Conference
Welcome to the 1st International Conference on Emergent Functions of Bacterial Multicellularity
The development of multicellularity is a major evolutionary transition and a prerequisite for the occurrence of higher life forms on Earth. While multicellularity originated in prokaryotes, dating back 3 billion years, our current understanding of multicellularity is still largely based on studying eukaryotic organisms. In contrast, microbes are still perceived as archetypically unicellular, owing to bacteriological tradition and methodological limitations.
Recent technological advances – such as time-resolved 3D live-cell imaging, mass spectrometry imaging, multi-parameter flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptomics – now allow re-solving macroscopic bacterial communities in time and space at single-cell level.
These approaches open completely new perspectives on microbial life beyond the individual cell, with crucial relevance for understanding the ecology, physiology, genomics, molecular mechanisms, and evolution of multicellularity and microbial tissue formation. Analyzing how the architecture, biophysical properties, and developmental dynamics of bacterial consortia are established and maintained will provide insights into the origins and molecular mechanisms of bacterial multicellularity. Studying the emergent functions of differentiated microbial consortia will unravel the physiological consequences and ecological implications of how bacteria communicate, cooperate, and coordinate their activities to generate a multicellular fitness gain that goes beyond individual cells.
This conference, the first of its kind, will focus exclusively on such multicellular traits of bacterial communities.
Join us in Berlin and share your research on bacterial multicellularity!
Where and When?
The conference will be held in the Harnack-Haus (Ihnestr. 16-20) Berlin from January 6th to 9th, 2025.
Confirmed Speakers
We are pleased to confirm the lineup of international experts panel attending the conferences; we are sure it would be an excellent contribution to the field and will open the door to new enthusiasm in bacterial multicellularity.
| Tanmay Bharat | Cambridge, UK |
| Daniel Dar | Rehovot, lL |
| Carolina Trenado-Yuste | Princeton, USA |
| Marie Elliot | Ontario, CA |
| Enrique Flores García | Sevilla, ES |
| Kevin Foster | Oxford, UK |
| Roberto Kolter | Boston, USA |
| Ákos Kovács | Leiden, NL |
| Tâm Mignot | Marseille, FR |
| Nicola Stanley-Wall | Dundee, UK |
| Gürol M. Süel | San Diego, USA |
| Cynthia Whitchurch | Singapore, SG |
Abstract Submission
Closed - We are delighted to announce that the conference is fully booked and sold out! We look forward to seeing you all in Berlin!
Conference Program
The conference program is now available! Please note that there may be some changes between now and the conference, we will keep you informed.
At a Glance - Presentation and Poster Guideline
Here you will find all the information you need for your presentation or poster.
Oral presentation
Each presenter will have a 20-minute slot, consisting of 15 minutes of presentation and 5 minutes of Q&A.
To make the conference run as smoothly as possible, we kindly ask that you send us your presentation beforehand via e-mail. If more convenient for you, you may also bring your digital presentation with you on a USB stick and upload it directly at the conference.
You are also invited to bring a poster displaying your research to hang up during the poster sessions. This, however, is absolutely not required! If you would like to bring a poster as well, please inform us ahead of time so that we can plan the number of poster boards accordingly.
Posters
Please ensure your posters are printed in A0 portrait format (Hochformat)! Poster boards and materials for hanging will be provided by the venue.
Poster prizes will be awarded!
We’ve also decided to spice things up a bit and are holding poster pitches directly before the poster session. These should draw interest to your research and act as a "teaser" before the poster sessions - give us a short (1-2 min.) breakdown of your poster, but keep it brief and make it interesting! We encourage you to make a short presentation (max. 3 slides!) that we can show during your pitch.