Welcome from LOC
The Local Organising Committee and the ASM Executive has the pleasure to welcome you to Perth for the Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) Annual: National Scientific Meeting and trade exhibition(ASM2023), being held at the PCEC (Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre) in Western Australia.
The PCEC overlooks beautiful Swan river at Elizabeth Quay in downtown Perth. Elizabeth Quay is a new vibrant precinct containing cafés, bars, and restaurants with river views. The PCEC is within walking distance of the heart of Perth, which includes the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Perth Mint which is Australia’s only Mint producing gold bullion.
Next to the PCEC is the iconic Bell Tower, the only place in Australia with manual bell ringing using 14th century bells, and the Swan River Pier from which you can catch a ferry to Rottnest island, home of the cute quokka. Just outside the CBD you can walk to King’s Park and Botanic gardens, an exceptional experience as the gardens overlook the city from Mount Eliza. Visiting Cottesloe beach is also a simple bus ride to the coast to watch the sunset over the Indian ocean. For those of you who are considering staying on after the conference, you have the opportunity to visit the marvelous wine regions of the Swan Valley and Margret River, also known for its world-class surfing conditions that host the World Surf League championship. Or spare a thought for going north to the Ningaloo Reef, home of the whale sharks.
We have assembled an inspiring and exciting scientific program for 2023. We have visiting speakers and guests from around Australia and the rest of the world who will present ideas and research across a range of microbiology sub-disciplines. We also have a wonderful social program to encourage discussion and interaction - the Welcome night, Trade and Poster night, and the Rubbo celebration that includes live music from Hi-NRG.
Our plenary speakers this year cover a broad range of microbiology. We will be joined by A/Prof Yunn-Hwen Gan (National University of Singapore, Singapore), Prof Ross Fitzgerald (University of Edinburgh, UK),Prof Neil Gow (University of Exeter, UK), Dr Jennifer Pett-Ridge (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA), Prof Dominic Dywer (Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, AUS) and Prof Shiranee Sriskandan (Imperial College, UK).
We are delighted to announce our awardees for 2023. Prof Julian Rood is giving the prestigious Rubbo Oration and Prof Dena Lyras has been selected for the Distinguished Award Oration. Dr Andrea McWhorter has received the new Industry Engagement Award, while Dr Shakeel Mowlaboccus and Dr Lawrence Luu has received the Jim Pittard Award and Dr Johanna Kenyon and Dr Josh Ramsay has received the Frank Fenner Award.
The Organising Committee and Executive would especially like to thank all of our sponsors. We have received exceptional support from our sister-society SGM in the UK for poster prizes, and a fabulous Early Career Oral award funded by Elsevier. All our local and national sponsors are providing essential and generous support. Indeed, collectively they are showcasing an exciting breadth of trade and technologies and we encourage you all to visit their exhibits and attend their workshops.
I encourage all delegates to interact with our sponsors throughout the conference, especially during our evening poster, trade and social functions. I would also like to thank ASN Events (especially Kara Barker and the ASN team) for their work in organising this conference.
I hope that the ASM 2023 meeting is a rewarding and memorable event for you in Perth, Western Australia.
ASM LOC 2023
