Honour for Jena microbiologist

Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel, spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" at the University of Jena, has been elected as a new 2024 Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She is the only representative of a German university among the 65 new fellows worldwide.

Each year, the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) uses a rigorous peer-review process to select distinguished scientists as Fellows who have made a valuable contribution to microbiology. This year, the Academy received 156 nominations, 65 of which were elected to the Fellowship Class of 2024. One of them is Kirsten Küsel, who holds the Chair of Aquatic Geomicrobiology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

“Academy Fellowship signifies a distinguished accolade, and I am delighted to extend my congratulations and warm welcome to Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel as a member of the 2024 Cohort. Fellows are an outstanding assembly of scientists whose contributions have propelled discipline and whose knowledge benefits both the scientific community and broader society,” said Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D., Chair of the Academy Governors.

"Being inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology is an incredible recognition of my research in the field of microbial ecology. I am honoured to be part of this prestigious community and look forward to continuing to contribute to the advancement of microbiology and the international visibility of our Balance of the Microverse cluster with my work," says Kirsten Küsel.

The proportion of female scholarship holders in the 2024 scholarship class is 25 per cent. The scholarship holders come from Hong Kong, France, Germany, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA.

About the American Society for Microbiology

The AAM is an honour society for microbiologists within the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in the United States, one of the largest life science societies in the world. The ASM is dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of 36,000 scientists and health practitioners. Their mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences. ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.