Microbial population biology is an interdisciplinary field that attracts researchers from the evolutionary biology, ecology, computational biology, molecular biology, microbial physiology, medical microbiology and epidemiology, bacterial genetics, and population genetics. Research at the cutting edge of this rapidly growing field is consistently collaborative, cross-disciplinary and integrative in nature. The Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Population Biology is the only conference specifically designed to bring the leading researchers in the relevant fields (microbial population genetics, molecular evolution, ecology, epidemiology, molecular biology and genetics) to share in an intensive, discussion oriented meeting aimed at identifying the leading areas of current and future research. Due to the rapid accumulation of complete microbial genome sequence data it is now more important than ever to continue with the primary objective of this Conference of promoting and establishing connections between diverse disciplines and researchers.
It is now clear that developing a more robust view of microbial diversity, ecology and evolution is required if we hope to make progress in our understanding of the evolution of infectious disease, planning for biodefense and for developing novel approaches to microbial disease therapies. This conference is designed to bring together the breadth of researchers required to enable such progress.
