2026 Conference Schedule

Sunday, July 19, 2026

3:00pRegistrationMain Lounge
5:30pWelcome and Keynote AddressShannon Hall
Colleen Cavanaugh
Harvard University
6:45pWelcome ReceptionTripp Commons

Monday, July 20, 2026

8:00aRegistrationAnnex
9:00aSession I – Host Microbe Interactions at the Ecological Scale I
Session Chair: Chris Lane		Shannon Hall
9:00aTitle TBDChris Lane
9:30aMicrobial contribution to essential amino acid synthesis in large African herbivores revealed by amino acid isotopesAnejelique J. Martinez
9:45aReciprocal Transplant Experiment Supports Site of Rearing as Key Contributor to Gut Microbiota Composition and Body SizeSpeaker TBD
10:00aRefreshment BreakShannon Hall Lobby
10:30aEcological Features of Resilience in an Anemone-Microbe NetworkDaniela Pierro
10:45aHost-Mycobiome Crosstalk Reveals Shared and Site-Specific Patterning Across the Intestinal MucosaEmily Davenport
11:00aHeat-producing bacteria influence the activity and life history of D. melanogaster at low temperaturesEliza M. Beales
11:15aFlash Talks I
11:15aDiscovery of Novel Receptor-like Kinases as Genetic Regulators of Root Microbiome Structure in Arabidopsis thalianaAditi Bhat
11:20aMicrobial alliances in traditional Hawaiian fishponds: Identifying algal-bacterial symbioses that support ecosystem restorationAlejandra Jacquez
11:25aPermethrin selection enriches pyrethroid degrading bacteria in the mosquito microbiome by 3 to 11 folds and induces resistance despite host’s limited standing genetic variationNsa Dada
11:30aLunchTripp Commons
1:00pPoster SessionGreat Hall
2:30pSession II – Host Microbe Interactions on the Molecular Scale I
Session Chair: John Rawls		Shannon Hall
2:30pTitle TBDJohn Rawls
3:00pAphid microRNAs translocated to an obligate endosymbiontHonglin Feng
3:15pParabacteroides species encode a lipid biosynthetic gene cluster that confers tolerance to bile acidsAllison Hanna
3:30pBacterial symbionts reside intracellularly in newt toxin-storing glandsSamantha Westcott
3:45pGut Turicibacters uptake and metabolize exogenous lipidsJonathan Lynch
4:00pBreakShannon Hall Lobby
4:30pThe Circadian Clock Inhibits Dissemination of the Opportunistic Pathogen Enterococcus faecalisUrbashi Basu
4:45pGut microbial amino acid metabolism modulates fatty liver disease in miceKazuyuki Kasahara
5:00pIdentification and characterization of the surface layer protein AvsA in bacterial extracellular vesicles, biofilm formation, and host colonization in Aeromonas veroniiCaroline Vieira Da Silva
6:00pDinnerTripp Commons

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

8:00aRegistrationAnnex
9:00aSession III – Host-Microbe Interactions at the Evolutionary Scale I
Session Chair: Maggie Sogin		Shannon Hall
9:00aTitle TBDMaggie Sogin
9:30aEvolutionary Dynamics Within The Honey Bee Gut Microbiome Via Longitudinal MetagenomicsChris Robinson
9:45a Host-microbial co-diversification in wild rodentsGabriele Schiro
10:00aRefreshment BreakShannon Hall Lobby
10:30a The effect of flavonoids on cyanobacterial motilitiy and their role in symbiotic relationship with land plantsDeren Büyüktas
10:45a Parallel Evolution of Endosymbiont Regulation: Recruitment of the GLNT1 Transporter at the Mealybug Symbiotic InterfaceAlex C. Wilson
11:00aBeyond distance-decay: The Mississippi River shapes gut microbiome communities in the Peromyscus maniculatus species complexDanielle Blumstein
11:15aFlash Talks IIShannon Hall
11:15a Measuring genotypic variation in fruit flies from different loci within a single orchard using phenotypic parametersEmma Kunz
11:20a Evolutionary divergence of mutualistic and pathogenic lineages within the oyster symbiont V. mediterraneiSteph Smith
11:25a A Conserved Genetic Basis for Commensal–Host Specificity in Lactiplantibacillus plantarumKarina Gutierrez Garcia
11:30aLunchTripp Commons
1:00pMicrobiologists Meeting the MomentShannon Hall
2:00pRefreshment BreakShannon Hall Lobby
2:30pSession IV – One Health and Beneficial Microbes
Session Chair: Jack Gilbert		Shannon Hall
2:30pTitle TBDJack Gilbert
3:00pDynamics of Maternal Gut Microbiome Across Pregnancy Predict Energetic Status and Reproductive Speed in Phayre’s Leaf MonkeysTing-Shuo Nien
3:15pIntegrating Gut Microbiome Function and Metabolomic Profiles in Healthy Individuals from the Milieu Intérieur CohortJayanth Jawahar
3:30pMicrobial Community and Functional Succession During Simulated Sargassum StrandingsShrinivas Nandi
3:45pGlycoside hydrolase-mediated polysaccharide catabolism in Segatella copri, a target of microbiota-directed foods for malnourished childrenMatthew Hibberd
4:00pA malaria-suppressing mosquito symbiont spreads through vector populations via both vertical and horizontal transmissionThomas Onchuru
4:15pDivergent Effects of HIV Treatment on Cardiometabolic Risk are Linked to Immune Reconstitution, Depletion of the Gut Protist Blastocystis, and Altered Microbial MetabolismCatherine Lozupone
Free Evening

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

8:00aRegistrationAnnex
9:00aSession V – Host-Microbe Interactions on the Molecular Scale II
Session Chair: Amelia Lindsey		Shannon Hall
9:00aTitle TBDAmelia Lindsey
9:30aDevelopmental Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Results in Persistent Sex-Specific Functional Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiome without Sustained Host Inflammatory Response in Adult MiceOluwatosin Shittu
9:45aDietary Nitrate Drives Oral Commensals to Inhibit Periodontal PathogensAshley Toney
10:00aRefreshment BreakShannon Hall Lobby
10:30aAnaerobic Riboflavin Degradation by Human Gut LachnospiraceaePatrick Bradley
10:45aA Bacterial Mutualism Factor Counteracts Nutritional Immunity and Mitigates Virulence of Co-resident Microbes  Catherine D. Robinson
11:00aOuter Membrane Vesicles Deliver Proteins to Expand Glycan Utilization in Gut BacteriaJennifer Lausch
11:15aFlask Talks IIShannon Hall
11:15aShared Host Signals Shape Microbial Communities to Suppress a Multi-Host Pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosaMartin Alcantar
11:20aThe Microbiota Metabolite-Dependent Protective Effect of a Ketogenic Diet in a Mouse Model of Multiple SclerosisGillian Hughes
11:25aIdentification of genetic and environmental drivers for bacterial anaerobic purine utilizationHeather L. Emery
11:30aLunchTripp Commons
1:00pPoster Session Great Hall
2:30pSession VI – Host-Microbe Interactions on the Ecological Scale II
Session Chair: Julia Oh		Shannon Hall
2:30pTitle TBDJulia Oh
3:00pStrain-resolved analyses provide evidence for human-to-animal bacterial transmission in captivityKatherine M. Lagerstrom
3:15pSocial Feeding Drives Active Filtering And Maintenance Of The Honey Bee Queen MicrobiomeLilian Caesar
3:30pCo-infecting Wolbachia strains in a parasitoid wasp demonstrate strain-specific differences in spatial distribution throughout oogenesisMegan W. Jones
3:45pPredicting how competitive strategies of a beneficial bacterium shape rhizosphere microbiome structureYana Beizman Magen
4:00pBreakShannon Hall Lobby
4:30pMicrobiomes of Caribbean stony corals: partners in coral resilienceNikea J. Ulrich
4:45pDietary Carbohydrates Alter Antimicrobial Sensitivity of the Gut Symbiont Limosilactobacillus reuteri,Morgan N. Smith
5:00pFree Evening / Dinner on your own

Thursday, July 23, 2026

8:00aRegistration Annex
9:00aSession VII – New Approaches to Study Microbe-Host Crosstalk
Session Chair: Laura Knoll		 Shannon Hall
9:00aTitle TBDLaura Knoll
9:30aAn Under-Oil Gut Model to Study Host-Microbe-Oxygen InteractionsJulie DuClos
9:45aThree-dimensional images reveal the impact of the endosymbiont Midichloria mitochondrii on the host mitochondriaZerrin Uzum
10:00aRefreshment BreakShannon Hall Lobby
10:30aCONTENTO: CONTrast ExploratioN Toolkit for OmicsIsabel Fernandez Escapa
10:45aHuman Virome ProgramMukesh Verma
11:00aMicrobial synthesis of essential amino acids from glycolytic versus TCA cycle derived precursors impacts host protein metabolismConner Mertz
11:15aVisualizing Mechanisms of Vertical Transmission in an Obligate, Intracellular SymbiosisDerrick Kamp
11:30aRIVET: An Experimental Platform for Tracking Agrobacterium-Plant InteractionsIan Reynolds
11:45aLunch Tripp Commons
1:00pPoster Session Great Hall
2:30pSession VIII – Emerging Concepts in Microbe-Host Dynamics
Session Chair: Shai Bel		 Shannon Hall
2:30pTitle TBDShai Bel
3:00pGut bacterial metabolite imidazole propionate exacerbates neurodegenerationVaibhav Vemguanti
3:15pProfiling RNA Modifications in the Oral Microbiome: Insights into Microbial Gene RegulationShikha Sharma
3:30pLocal Complement C3 Is Induced During Cryptosporidium Infection and Associates with Intestinal Immune ResponsesLan Zhang
3:45pKeynoteShannon Hall
Eugene Chang
University of Chicago
4:45pAwards & Closing Remarks Shannon Hall
5:30pBanquetTripp Commons