BISMiS - BISMiS Live

BISMiS Live is our monthly seminar series, held online and scheduled for the third Saturday of each month, starting March 2021. The aim of the series is to reach out to microbiology students and early career scientists with an interest in microbial ecology and systematics. These interactive sessions with expert scientists from across the globe will foster interest in microbial systematics and the diversity and ecology of microbes in our world.

Registration: Click Here to register for all sessions at once.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the Live Stream and concluded sessions.

Archived Sessions

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Inaugural Session - February 21, 2026

Speaker: Prof. William Whitman, Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia

Title of the Talk: Prokaryotic Nomenclature in 2050

Biosketch: William ‘Barny’ Whitman received his PhD in microbiology from The University of Texas in Austin in the laboratory of F. Robert Tabita. His training was completed at the University of Illinois in Urbana in the laboratory of Ralph S. Wolfe. When he started his own laboratory at the University of Georgia in 1982, he initially focused on developing genetic systems in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus as well the pathway of autotrophic CO2 assimilation. Since then, his research has focused on the physiology, systematics and ecology of environmentally important microorganisms. He is currently an Emeritus Professor at the University of Georgia where systematics has been a central part of his work. His laboratory developed one of the most popular methods for determination of the mol % G+C [Mesbah et al. 1989. Int J Sys Bacteriol 39:159-167] and helped describe more than twenty new species. From 1986-2001, he was Secretary of the International Committee on Systematics of Bacteria (ICSB) Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Methanogenic Bacteria and coauthored its first Minimal Standards [Boone and Whitman. 1988. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 38: 212-219]. From 1995-2001, he was an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, and in 2000 received the Bergey’s Award from the Bergey’s Manual Trust. In 2006, he joined the Bergey’s Manual Trust and became the Supervising Editor of the Manual, a post in which he still serves. His work as an editor of Bergey’s Manual on the Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria has strongly informed his opinions on prokaryotic systematics. From 2014-2020, he served as Treasurer and member of the Executive Board of the ICSP. Since 2022, he served on the Executive Board of the Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes Described from Sequence Data (SeqCode) Committee. He has also been the Treasurer of Bergey’s International Society for Microbial Systematics (BISMiS) since its founding, which is strange being that he is not very political.

Recorded Session: Watch Here

52nd Session - March 21, 2026: Young Scholar Forum

Speaker: Dr Hongyan Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Title of the Talk: Characterization of a novel halotolerant Dehalogenimonas species for high-salinity organohalide respiration

Biosketch: Hongyan Wang received her PhD in microbiology from the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in 2025. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the same institute. Her doctoral research focused on anaerobic environmental microorganisms, leading to the isolation and functional characterization of a novel halotolerant organohalide-respiring bacterium, Dehalogenimonas loeffleri sp. nov. (strain W). This microorganism demonstrates the ability to dechlorinate 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) to ethene under high-salinity conditions (≥5.1% NaCl, w/v), a capability attributed to the synthesis of compatible solutes and the encoding of a salt-tolerant reductive dehalogenase (DdeA). Her research findings have been published in journals such as the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM), Environmental Science & Technology, and Microbiology Resource Announcements. These contributions have advanced the understanding of novel organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) lineages in extreme environments and revealed the functional adaptation mechanisms of OHRB in high-salinity habitats.

Speaker: Dr Zhenxing Xu, Shandong University

Title of the Talk: Target isolation and identification of Geobacteraceae with potentials in soil nitrogen maintenance

Biosketch: Zhenxing Xu received his PhD in Applied Biological Chemistry from the University of Tokyo and then worked as a JSPS Foreign Special Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo until 2023. He is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Marine College, Shandong University, China. He has published more than 20 SCI papers in Microbiome, mBio and other international journals in microbiology and related fields. His research mainly focuses on mining unculturable microbial resources in marine sediments, and their roles in element cycling. He was awarded the JSPS Foreign Special Research Fellowship in 2021 and currently hosts four research projects, including those funded by the NSFC, the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. He also serves as a reviewer for more than 10 international journals.

Recorded Session: Watch Here

53rd Session - April 18, 2026

Speaker: Dr. Teo Wee Fei Aaron, Universiti Malaya

Title of the Talk: Notes on the Description of Novel Prokaryotic Taxa

Biosketch: Dr. Teo Wee Fei Aaron is a microbiologist specializing in prokaryotic systematics and taxonomy, with particular expertise in genome-based classification, nomenclature, and the integration of phenotypic and phylogenomic data. He currently serves as Executive Editor of Current Microbiology and holds editorial roles with the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology and BMC Microbiology.
He is the Secretary of Bergey’s International Society for Microbial Systematics (BISMiS) and actively contributes to international efforts in advancing microbial nomenclature and taxonomy, including engagement with the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes and the broader systematics community. His work focuses on improving standards for the description of prokaryotic taxa, ensuring reproducibility, and supporting the integration of modern genomic approaches within evolving nomenclatural frameworks.
In this session, he will present recent perspectives on best practices and common challenges in the description of prokaryotic taxa, based on the recently published article: Notes on the Description of Novel Prokaryotic Taxa (Current Microbiology, 2026, 83:152; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-025-04619-x)

Recorded Session: Watch Here

54th Session - May 16, 2026

Speaker: Nathan Ernster, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University

Title of the Talk: A practical guide on environmental genomics for prokaryotic systematics

Biosketch: Nathan Ernster is a PhD student in the Rodriguez-R group at Aalborg University, Denmark, where he is studying microdiversity across Yellowstone hot springs, and atmospheric microbial transport and deposition on the Greenland ice sheet. His background includes a MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno and the Desert Research Institute, as well as interdisciplinary positions in mountain hydrology and polar science support.

Recorded Session: Watch Here

55th Session - July 18, 2026

Speaker: Executive Board of the 28th Class of the ICSP

Title of the Talk: International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP)

Program: General overview of the work of the ICSP; recruitment of new members; Subcommittees on Taxonomy.
Chair: Edward Moore, University of Gothenburg & CCUG, Gothenburg.

The new version of the ICSP Statutes; the 2025 revision of the ICNP.
Executive Secretary: Aharon Oren, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Section 10 of the ICNP: Candidatus names and pro-valid publication; presentation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Mitigating Changes in Prokaryotic Nomenclature and the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance
Judicial Commission Ex Officio Member: Markus Göker, Leibnitz Institute - DSMZ, Braunschweig

The work of the Judicial Commission; Outreach.
Judicial Commission Ex Officio Member: Maria del Carmen Montero-Calasanz, IFAPA, Sevilla.

Outlook; preview of the composition of the Executive Board for the new term.
Chair: Edward Moore, University of Gothenburg & CCUG, Gothenburg.

Registration Link: Click Here