CRC 1182 Travel Fellowship for 4th GRC “Animal-Microbe Symbioses” – Call for Proposals

The CRC 1182 supports four junior researchers of the CRC 1182 to join the Gordon Research Conference “Animal-Microbe Symbioses” by sponsoring travel costs and conference fees. The conference will take place on June 20-25, 2021 in Lucca (Barga), Italy.

Application Deadline: December 15, 2020

Meeting Description

Microbes are the dominant life form on our planet. Studying them in the context of their plant, animal and human hosts using metagenomic tools is changing the way we view microbial, animal and plant diversity, evolution, and biology. There is an increasing appreciation that these resident microbes influence the fitness of their plant and animal hosts, ultimately forming a metaorganism consisting of a uni- or multicellular host and a community of associated microbes. There is also growing interest in the application of specific microbiome modulators for animal health.
We now have a unique opportunity to advance the field of symbiosis by integrating discoveries from the multiple biological disciplines. The challenge is twofold. To what extent can we explain the evolutionary trajectories of symbioses and their responses to ecological factors, including anthropogenic stressors, in terms of the underlying cell biology and molecular biology of the systems? How realistic is it to predict the fitness and ecological fit of symbioses from knowledge of the underlying among-partner interactions? Addressing these questions will drive new fundamental understanding and enable meaningful solutions to pressing challenges in animal health and disease, biotechnology, agricultural production, biological responses to climate change and more.
The overarching goal of the GRC is to discuss the governing principles underlying associations of microbial communities with hosts from diverse taxonomic groups. This year, the conference will focus on the specific functional consequences of the interactions, the underlying regulatory principles, the resulting impact on host life history and evolutionary fitness in the selected host systems, and also on how to successfully translate these basic research findings into useful therapies for animal and human health.
We invite you to bring your motivation, your ideas and your system to the 4th Gordon Research Conference on Animal-Microbial Symbioses. You will be joining an interdisciplinary group of researchers at all career stages and many nationalities, with the common and inclusive goal to solve scientific problems. The GRC is widely recognized for its comprehensive agenda and is gaining a fantastic reputation as a networking event. The GRC will be accompanied by the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), a unique venue for early career scientists to discuss their data and debate the big issues in our discipline.

Who can apply?

• Junior researchers (doctoral candidates and postdocs max. 5 years after having obtained the doctoral degree) of the CRC 1182 and associated junior researchers of the CRC 1182 (working with CRC 1182 PIs on CRC 1182 topics).

Application:

• Abstract for poster (max. 500 words).
• Motivation letter about how your poster would contribute to one of the nine scientific sessions of the GRC “Animal-Microbe Symbioses” (https://www.grc.org/animal-microbe-symbioses-conference/2021/).

Evaluation and Selection:

• Evaluation by Thomas Bosch as speaker of the CRC 1182 and Chair of the GRC “Animal-Microbe Symbioses” 2021 and Hinrich Schulenburg and Tal Dagan as members of the CRC 1182 Steering Committee and Nancy Obeng as organizer of the Gordon Research Seminar.
• The awardees of the CRC 1182 conference fellowships will be announced February 1, 2021.

Submission

• Applications can only be accepted if submitted as a single PDF file with a maximum of two pages to office@metaorganism-research.com by December 15, 2020.