 I'm Alan Roberts and I'm currently a Hodge Foundation funded postdoc in Dr Rowena Jenkins' lab, which is part of the Microbiology and Infectious Disease group down at Swansea University Medical School. So my current research interests revolve around natural products to combat antimicrobial resistance. So historically the group have investigated the antimicrobial properties of Manuka honey, its mode of action, so how it's capable of inhibiting the cell division process in Staflach Occasorius, whilst also destabilising the cell envelope in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We've also looked into its ability to inhibit robust biofilms using simulated soft tissue infection models and how Manuka honey can act as an adjuvant with various antibiotics which might be of use in the battle against chronic surface wounds. However, more recently we've been looking into whether we can repurpose Manuka honey from its more traditional role as a topical antimicrobial for surface wound infections and potentially clear chronic antimicrobial resistant infections associated with cystic fibrosis. Now for those that don't know, cystic fibrosis is a highly debilitating disease that affects a number of organs within the body, but complications within the lung cause chronic recurrent infections, which are difficult to eradicate and cause long-term suffering for patients. One of the key problematic organisms associated with these chronic infections and poor patient prognosis is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Now we know that Manuka honey can inhibit chronic infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in surface wounds, so could we use it to inhibit chronic infections of the lung and the nasal passage? So at the moment I'm looking into the effects of Manuka honey alone and in combination with various antibiotics on CF associated pathogens using various ex vivo models which allow the simulation of a 3D environment with nutrient cues that are similar to those seen in cystic fibrosis. Obviously there's a lot of work to do, but hopefully we'll get to a point where we can develop Manuka honey as an effective treatment for the nasal passage or possibly the upper respiratory tract. So as part of my role on the Early Career Scientist Committee at the Society for Applied Microbiology, I was invited to chair a dedicated workshop for SFAM's early career scientists. Now I don't want to give too much away with what might be presented within the workshop, however there will be a varied selection of talks from all walks of the microbiology field and I would therefore urge any Early Career Scientist to come along and support their fellow peers, but I'd also ask all delegates at FEMS to support the session as our Early Career Scientists are the microbiologists of tomorrow and they will have some very exciting research to show you. At SFAM and indeed for many of the other microbiology societies, Early Career Members are an integral part of the society and they're highly valued, so in recent years SFAM has held conferences and research symposiums which are put on for Early Career Scientists by Early Career Scientists, providing a conference with a relaxed and friendly environment. Now this workshop that we're putting on will continue this and showcase some of the amazing research that is currently being undertaken by our Early Career Scientists. In addition to this it will also help with the development of Early Career Scientists as they learn their presenting skills required for research. So all together I think this is going to be a very exciting workshop with very well presented pieces of research from some very remarkable Early Career Scientists. Now I haven't actually been to a FEMS annual conference before, I have to admit. However I have attended many of the locally sponsored events which FEMS put on which have been jam-packed, full of exciting poster and all representations, so if they are anything to go by I know the annual conference will be even better. Having looked at the programme though I know there are a number of sessions on biofilms, pathogenesis of tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, one health, the research teaching nexus and of course the ESOM awards workshop, all of which are right up my street so I'll definitely be partaking in those. I also have a bit of a soft spot for microorganisms that grow in extreme environments so I'll be checking out that session as well. But all in all I think the programme for FEMS 2019 looks absolutely amazing. Of course as this will be my first FEMS annual conference I'll get to network with many different people, some of which that I might not have met at other conferences before so it'll be nice to see if there are any potential collaborative projects out there that could be forward from this. As I'm based in South Wales it's not very often that I get to travel way up north to see my fellow Celts. Glasgow is known to be warm and welcoming which makes it an excellent place for FEMS to host this year's conference. I've only ever been to Edinburgh in Scotland which I really enjoyed so I'm looking forward to heading back up north to explore a new city. One thing I really would like to do and hopefully I'll get some time off at some point to do it is to go to the Glasgow Science Centre across the river from the conference so fingers crossed I get to do that.