Dear IS-MPMI community,
We are writing to share two exciting updates from IS-MPMI: our completely redesigned website is now live, and our new “Road to Jeju” webinar series is well underway, with the next session coming up soon.
Our new website is live!
We are delighted to announce the launch of our completely redesigned IS-MPMI website! The new site features a cleaner design, easier navigation, a free job board for members, a community bulletin board for events and announcements, and a hub for all our upcoming activities. We invite you to explore the site and make it your home for everything IS-MPMI.
Visit the new website: ismpmi.org
Setting up your member account
As part of this launch, we have moved to a new membership system, and all current members have been ported over and already have an account. To set yours up:
• Go to the member login page, check the “Request Password” box, and enter your email. If you have an active membership account, you will be sent a password that you may change upon logging in.
• If you are not an active member, please register for your account here.
• If you believe you are an active member but are unable to log in, please reach out to us at contact@ismpmi.org.
Thanks to everyone who renewed or became a new member during our transition to self-management — your support makes this work possible.
The “Road to Jeju” webinar series
In case you missed it, we have launched a brand-new webinar series, “Road to Jeju,” to build momentum toward the 2027 IS-MPMI Congress in Jeju, South Korea and keep our global community connected. The series alternates between two formats: Legends of IS-MPMI, in-depth talks from leaders whose work has shaped our field, and Rising Stars of IS-MPMI, a showcase for outstanding students and PostDocs. All sessions are held live on Zoom at 3 PM UTC, free and open to the public, and recorded for our YouTube channel. The series is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, GetGenome, Tanon Life Sciences, and the British Society of Plant Pathology (BSPP). Individual webinars are sponsored by The New Phytologist Foundation and by Agrisera.
Our inaugural session was a huge success: Prof. Roger Innes (Indiana University Bloomington) delivered a fantastic talk on leaf-surface RNA to a packed virtual audience. If you missed it, you can catch the recordings of the talk and of the dedicated Q&A session on our YouTube channel. All webinar recordings are also available to watch directly on our website.
Next up: Rising Stars of IS-MPMI — July 29, 2026
Our next webinar is the first Rising Stars of IS-MPMI session, showcasing the next generation of leaders in molecular plant–microbe interactions. Join us to see outstanding students and PostDocs from around the world present their work — and to help us celebrate them. Registration to attend the webinar is free and open now. We’ll be announcing our first four Rising Stars speakers soon!
Register to attend the first Rising Stars of IS-MPMI webinar: Reserve your spot here
Coming up: more Legends and more Rising Stars
The Legends of IS-MPMI series continues with an outstanding line-up:
• Jonathan Jones (The Sainsbury Laboratory, UK) — September 30, 2026
• Jane Parker (Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany) — January 27, 2027
• Xinnian Dong (Duke University, USA) — May 2027
The next Rising Stars session is already set for November 18, 2026. We will open the second round of self-nominations in September, with a deadline of October 14 — so keep an eye out if you, or a student or PostDoc you know, would like to present. A further Rising Stars session will follow in March 2027. All webinars are free, open to the public, and recorded for our YouTube channel and website.
We are incredibly excited about the months ahead and the journey to Jeju. Explore the new website, set up your account, and we hope to see you at the Rising Stars webinar on July 29!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at contact@ismpmi.org. Follow IS-MPMI on social media (X, LinkedIn, Bluesky) and visit ismpmi.org to stay up to date.
With warm regards,
The IS-MPMI Board of Directors
