We are the
Belgian Society for Microbiology


The Belgian Society for Microbiology (BSM) is a nonprofit association (VZW/ASBL) dedicated to the advancement of microbiological sciences in the broadest sense. It was founded in 1996 to give all the microbiologists in Belgium a chance to meet and discuss Science in a friendly atmosphere.

cdc-tLQRMO33DeI-unsplash-min

News

  • Obituary Prof. Lise Thiry

    Born in 1921, Lise Thiry (https://belsocmicrobio.be/famous-belgian-microbiologists/lise-thiry/) passed away January 16th 2024, at the respectable age of 102! A time to remember her astonishing commitments, whether scientific, political or social, at a time when not everyone paid attention to women speaking. From 1947 she worked at the Institut Pasteur in Brussels, where she set up the Virology laboratory in 1952. Alongside many fundamental discoveries, her lab developed diagnostic tests for the detection of a number of viruses (e.g. scarlet fever, mumps, poliomyelitis, VRS, adenovirus, HIV). In 1985, she detected HIV particles in the milk of mothers from Rwanda, identifying a route of transmission and raising, for the first time, doubts about the universally accepted benefits of breastfeeding. In addition to her brilliant scientific career, in the early seventies, Lise started a political career at the socialist party. In 1985, she received the title of “Woman of the year” and became a member of the Senate. In 1990, she was part of the commission in charge of evaluating the impact of the new law legalizing abortion. She championed the rights of asylum seekers, and other excluded people. Besides her scientific publications, she wrote a series of books, including “Conversations avec des clandestins” (ISBN 978-2-87267-064-2, unfortunately not translated).
    We present our condolences to her family. She keeps showing us the way to dedicating scientific research to the benefit of people and society.

    Sign up to receive regular news updates.

    We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

  • Antibiotic Insights: Tolerance Mechanisms, ABC Transporters and Bacterial Responses

    Mini-symposium organized on February 23 (2 pm) at KU Leuven (Aula van de Tweede Hoofdwet, Kasteelpark Arenberg 41, Leuven). See leaflet for more info.

  • Obituary Em. Prof. Dr. Pierre Cornelis

    It is with deep sadness that we inform you that our colleague and friend Pierre Cornelis passed away on Saturday December 2nd. Pierre was Honorary member of BSM. Click on this link for an obituary written by VUB colleague Eddy Van Driessche. We would like to express our condolences to Pierre’s family, friends and colleagues.

  • YBSM Call for applications

    The Young BSM board was established two years ago and consists of Belgium-based early career microbiology scientists with a passion for science communication. Our goal is to bring microbiology to the public through the organization of outreach activities.

    Currently, the YBSM Board is looking for applicants who can strengthen the team with their talents of being a secretary, media curator, illustrator and/or else. We are looking for pro-active candidates who are interested in shaping what it means to do scientific outreach and defining our next goals. As a board, we are committed to represent the whole Belgian microbiology community, therefore we specifically urge young microbiologists from the French-speaking part of Belgium to apply.

    Hence, if you are a BSM member and an early career scientist and you have an interest in science communication, committed to proactively participate and attend at least 6 meetings annually, don’t hesitate to apply by filling in the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/BFYvnRkur2. Applications will be accepted until 18/12/2023.

Become a member

Membership to BSM is open to anyone with an interest in microbiology. Membership allows you to register for free to the annual meeting and makes you a member of FEMS.

members

Famous Belgian Microbiologists

Learn more about groundbreaking research from Belgian scientists.

cdc-tLQRMO33DeI-unsplash-min
cdc-tLQRMO33DeI-unsplash-min

BSM annual conference

Each year, BSM holds a symposium, providing a great opportunity for the Belgium-based community of microbiology researchers to meet and interact. There is always an exciting speaker line-up and early career researchers can present their research in a poster or oral presentation.