The 1st International Online Conference on Bacteria
From Genomes to Global Health
The IOCBa 2027 is Now OPEN for Abstract Submission and Registration
Submit your abstracts HERE.
Instructions for authors are available online.
For any inquiries, please contact us at iocba@mdpi.com.
the chair
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is my honor to welcome you to the 1st International Online Conference on Bacteria (IOCBa 2027). As the first global online event dedicated exclusively to bacteria, IOCBa 2027 offers a fully virtual format to ensure broad participation. The conference features interactive panels, live Q&A sessions, and a focus on emerging technologies and interdisciplinary approaches. This event provides an exceptional opportunity for researchers, clinicians, and innovators worldwide to address key challenges and recent advances in bacteriology.
The conference program reflects the breadth and depth of our field, with keynote lectures, thematic symposia, roundtable discussions, and interactive workshops. Topics include bacterial genomics, evolution, systems biology, host–pathogen interactions, antimicrobial resistance, and microbiome science. Sessions on artificial intelligence, computational methods, and One Health perspectives underscore our commitment to interdisciplinary dialogue and translational impact. Leading experts will share their latest research, providing valuable opportunities for engagement and learning.
IOCBa 2027 offers a dynamic platform for scientific exchange through keynote lectures, oral presentations, and flash poster sessions. Attendees are encouraged to join live Q&A sessions, participate in networking events, and engage in discussion forums on key topics. I especially encourage early-career researchers to participate, as their contributions are vital to the future of our discipline. I extend my sincere gratitude to the Scientific Committee, session chairs, invited speakers, and the MDPI conference team for their dedication and support.
I invite you to engage fully in the discussions, share your findings, and establish new collaborations. To support meaningful engagement, I invite you to participate actively in discussions, share your findings, and form new collaborations. IOCBa 2027 will provide dedicated virtual networking spaces and collaboration platforms to support real-time connections and partnership building. Together, we can advance bacterial sciences and address global challenges. The conference will take place from October 18 to 19, 2027.
Prof. Dr. Vasco Ariston de Carvalho Azevedo
Conference Chair, IOCBa 2027
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Meet Our Chair
Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, MG, Brazil;Prof. Dr. Vasco Ariston de Carvalho Azevedo is Full Professor of Genetics at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, where he leads the Cellular and Molecular Genetics Laboratory. He holds a DVM (UFBA, 1986), an MSc and PhD in Microbial Genetics (Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, 1993), and a PhD in Bioinformatics (UFMG, 2017). A Titular Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, his research spans genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and functional gene analysis of bacterial pathogens of veterinary and zoonotic importance. He has mentored over 170 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and authored more than 800 peer-reviewed publications.
Important Dates
21 Jun
2027 (23:59 AoE)
20 Jul
2027 (23:59 AoE)
13 Oct
2027 (23:59 AoE)
Meet Our Speaker
Prof. Christopher Dowson
School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom;Christopher Dowson is Professor of Microbiology and Co-Director of the £2.7M Sir Howard Dalton Centre for Translational Mechanistic Enzymology at the University of Warwick. His independent career began with Brian Spratt at Sussex, dissecting the molecular evolution of penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and the role of interspecies genetic transformation in generating mosaic penicillin-binding protein genes. That work has since broadened into bacterial population biology, the evolution of resistance and virulence, cell-wall biosynthesis and the mechanistic basis of antibiotic action — from lipid II–binding antibiotics to targeting host protein-degradation machinery against intracellular pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He has attracted over £25M in research funding (h-index 76) and built antimicrobial discovery consortia with partners in Canada, China, South Africa and Japan. He has worked on AMR policy since contributing to the 2015 O’Neill Review, convening the 2022 Didcot AMR policy dialogue and developing the UK–Japan partnership that secured £1.5M over five years from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for next-generation policy and science fellowships. His presentation draws on LEAD — Leadership in Enhancing Antimicrobial Discovery (lead-amr.org) — the Warwick-hosted international coalition, and its policy briefs on international leadership and partnership for antimicrobial discovery.
