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Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers logo
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology

Microbiology Symposium 2026

We are excited to announce the annual Rutgers-wide Microbiology Symposium. This event brings together microbiologists from across the Rutgers campuses for a day of invited speakers and student poster sessions.
If you are interested in participating in the poster session, please use the registration link bel
ow to sign up and submit your poster title.

Program Chairs: Jeff Boyd, and Max Haggblom
Sponsor: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology

Event Details

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026

Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location: Trayes Hall, Douglass Student Center 100 George St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 

Registration

If you would like to register for the symposium and participate in the poster session, please use the link below to sign up:

Register for the Microbiology Symposium

Deadline to register and sign up for posters: April 27, 2026

 

Parking

Visitors may park in Lots 70 & Douglass Deck. Guests must use the below link to register for the event. Until this process is completed their vehicles are not registered and your guests may receive a citation. Special event parking and special event permits are only for visitors to the University which does not include free metered parking. Faculty, Staff, and Students must park only in lots they are authorized to park in.

Reserve Parking at Lots 70 or Douglass Deck

Speakers

2026 Microbiology Symposium
Dr. Meli'sa Crawford - Examining the Effects of Agricultural Pollution on Gut Barrier Function 
Dr. Alexandra Deaconescu  - Structural Basis for Bidirectional Regulation of the RpoS General Stress Response
Dr. Sara Di Rienzi - Microbe-Hormone Interactions in Gut-Brain Function
Dr. Jessica Hargarten - Cryptococcosis from Bedside-to-Bench and Back Again: Probing the breadth of the Clinical Parabola
Dr. Jason Kaelber - Pathogen discovery by nanoimaging: the case of Zophobas morio black wasting disease
Dr. Donald Nyangahu - Gut Microbiome and Development in HIV Exposed Uninfected Infants
Dr. Vasileios Petrou - Structural Studies of Bacterial Membrane Enzymes Linked to Polymyxin Resistance
Dr. Tania Wong - Ketogenic diet-mediated immunometabolic regulation promotes Klebsiella pneumoniae airway clearance
Dr. Tianming Yao - Complex dietary fibers: molecular structure and gut microbiome interactions