Keynote Speaker
Dr. Joseph Mougous
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Joseph Mougous (Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington) will be the 2024 NW ASM Keynote Speaker. Dr. Mougous' research investigates mechanisms of interactions among bacteria, as well between bacteria and their hosts.
His research group has made major contributions to our understanding of the roles and mechanisms of type VI secretion systems in interbacterial antagonism. The Mougous lab has defined interspecies interactions in a wide range of bacteria, including members of the recently discovered phylum Saccharibacteria. Through these efforts, his lab has discovered and mechanistically characterized many novel bacterial toxins. Among these are a novel deaminase acting on dsDNA, which has been exploited as the basis of an editing technology for human mitochondrial DNA.
We are thrilled to have Dr. Mougous sharing his latest research at the 2024 NW ASM Branch meeting!
Dr. Caroline (Carrie) Harwood
Trainee Session Keynote
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Carrie Harwood (Professor of Microbiology at the University of Washington) will be the Keynote Speaker for the Trainee Session, a new feature of the 2024 NW ASM Branch Meeting. Dr. Harwood's research has greatly contributed to our understanding of the metabolism and lifestyles of bacterial phototrophs.
Dr. Harwood's research group has established Rhodopseudomonas palustris (Rpal) as a model photoheterotroph, which alters its preferred metabolic pathways depending on the availability of light and oxygen. Without light and in the presence of oxygen, Rpal engages in aerobic respiration and oxidizes organic substrates for energy generation. But in the presence of light and absence of oxygen, Rpal generates ATP by cyclic photophosphorylation. Harwood's research has focused on the characteristics of this switch, as well as a multitude of other facets of the phototroph biology, including: bacterial longevity, biofuel production, and plant-microbe interactions.
We are thrilled to have Dr. Harwood sharing her latest research at the 2024 NW ASM Branch meeting!