The Department of Bacteriology Distinguished Lectures in Microbiology are supported in part by the J.B. Wilson Fund, the Perry Wilson Fund, the Dennis and Alicemay Watson Lectureship Fund, and the E.B. Fred Memorial Fund. The Department of Bacteriology values and prioritizes increasing diversity, of both visible and invisible forms, in our invited speakers for the Distinguished Lectures in Bacteriology seminar series and departmental symposia.
Upcoming Seminars
Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Jeseth Delgado Vela | Duke University
Host: Trina McMahon
Title: Microbial Ecology, Quorum Sensing, and Phage–Host Interactions: Implications for Biofilm Control in the Built Environment
Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Tiffany Lowe-Power | UC Davis
Host: David Hershey
Title: Decoding Ralstonia wilt pathogens: Genetics, physiology, and evolutionary biology of the global crop pathogens
Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Robert Quinn | Michigan State University
Host: Federico Rey
Title: Language of Lipids: Host-microbiome cross-talk through lipid metabolites
Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Kou-San Ju | The Ohio State University
Host: Erica Majumder
Title: Genomics Accelerated Discovery and Biosynthesis of Phosphonate Natural Products
Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Courtney Ellison | University of Georgia
Host: Katrina Forest
Title: Type IV pili: form and function
Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Rebecca Schomer | University of Arizona
Host: Michael Thomas
Title: Interruptions & mixed signals: disrupting the chemical conversations phytopathogenic Ralstonia rely on to colonize plants
Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Jeffrey Barrick | Michigan State University
Host: Charlie Mo
Title: Engineering and evolving bug fixes and new features for bacterial symbionts of honey bees and aphids
Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Paul Keim | Northern Arizona University
Host: Sabine Pellett
Title: Anthrax, Cholera, and Bot – Oh No! The precise identification of bacterial strains’ origins
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Thomas O’Halloran | Michigan State University
Host: Tim Donohue
Title:
Thursday, December 3, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: Paul Bollyky | Stanford University
Host: Karthik Anantharaman
Title: Pf Bacteriophage is a Parasite of Both Pseudomonas and Humans
Thursday, December 10, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Speaker: David Hershey | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Host: Katrina Forest
Title: Dissecting and engineering colonization programs in bacteria
Past seminars can be viewed on Kaltura (netid login only)