Guest blog by: Tosin Senbadejo, a PhD student at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana.
I was awarded a CAMO-Net Travel Grant to attend ASM Microbe 2025, the annual conference of the American Society for Microbiology. The conference brought together leading microbiologists and infectious disease researchers from around the world to discuss recent advances in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). During the conference, she presented a poster entitled “Genomic Insights and Expression Profiling of Alkali-tolerant and Thermotolerant Escherichia coli Isolated from Ghanaian Hospitals.” The presentation generated thoughtful discussions with senior scientists, experts, and fellow graduate students, who provided constructive feedback and raised questions that opened new avenues for future research and collaboration.
ASM Microbe 2025 featured high-level scientific sessions on antimicrobial drugs and resistance mechanisms, novel approaches to infection diagnosis and treatment, and the application of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles to optimize antibiotic use. Attendance at several AMR-focused sessions exposed her to emerging tools such as meta-transcriptomics in resistance profiling, genomics-driven antimicrobial discovery, and microbial metabolism–based diagnostic approaches. These insights will be incorporated into her ongoing research.
In addition to the scientific sessions, the conference provided valuable networking opportunities. She connected with researchers working on related AMR topics and exchanged contacts for potential collaborations aligned with her long-term goal of pursuing a postdoctoral research position. She also participated in the ASM Future Leaders Mentorship Networking Power Hour, where she engaged in discussions on postdoctoral opportunities and received practical guidance on career development.
Reflecting on the experience, she noted that attending and presenting at ASM Microbe 2025 significantly contributed to her academic and professional growth by strengthening her research communication skills, expanding her scientific network, and reinforcing the importance of aligning research with global health challenges. She expressed sincere gratitude to CAMO-Net for the travel grant support, which was instrumental in enabling her participation and in providing international visibility for her research. She also acknowledged WACCBIP, University of Ghana, her PhD advisors, and her research group for their continuous support.
