We are pleased to announce that the upcoming KNVM Fall Meeting of the Fundamental Microbiology division will be held in Leiden on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Please find the program below. Registration will open soon.
On behalf of the Fundamental Microbiology division,
Dennis Claessen and Pedro Lopes Leão
 
Concept programme
Date Friday 6 November 2026
Venue Gorlaeus Building, room BM 1.33 · Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden
09:15–10:00
Arrival and welcome coffee
10:00–10:10
Opening · Dennis Claessen, Pedro Lopes Leāo, Chair
10:10–10:55
KeynoteSimonetta Gribaldo · Institut Pasteur, France – Evolution of the cell envelope across the bacterial tree of life
10:55–11:25
Anja Spang · Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee – Deep roots and genome evolution of archaeal symbionts
11:25–11:55
Akos Kovacs · Universiteit Leiden – Circadian rhythm in the Bacillus subtilis biofilm
11:55–12:55
Lunch
12:55–13:40
KeynoteEdze Westra · University of Exeter, UK – Using modified bacteriophages to combat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections
13:40–14:10
Kathrin Wippel · Universiteit van Amsterdam
14:10–14:40
Maartje van Kessel · Radboud Universiteit
14:40–15:10
Coffee and tea
15:10–15:40
Alexander Belyy · Rijksuniversiteit Groningen – Actin as a target and activator of bacterial protein toxins
15:40–16:10
Toshi Nagakubo · Universiteit Leiden – Biological functions of phage tail-like nanostructures in actinomycetes
16:10–16:40
Daniel Tamarit Chulia · Universiteit Utrecht
16:40–17:00
Closing
17:00–18:00
Drinks reception
Remaining talk titles will be added once confirmed.