SIMB President Nigel Mouncey outlines his vision and priorities for the year ahead in a letter to members

I am thrilled to serve as your new President for the next year. SIMB has a remarkable legacy of bringing together world-leading scientists from academia, industry and government sectors to present, discuss and debate the latest science and applications. We have a strong sense of community that is the backbone of SIMB. Building on these strong foundations, I am honored to take the helm of the Society for the next year to further shape our future as a Society.

For those who I’ve not met, a little about me. I trained as a microbial geneticist in the UK before moving to the US for postdoc positions at Harvard and University of Texas. I then joined Roche Vitamins to spearhead molecular biology efforts to improve vitamin B2 biosynthesis by Bacillus subtilis. With the acquisition by DSM, I then shifted my group’s work to developing a new direct biosynthetic route to vitamin C using Gluconobacter oxydans in a whole-cell biotransformation approach. I returned to the US to join Dow AgroSciences in Indianapolis to lead bioengineering and bioprocessing efforts for improving spinosyns production and for other products in development. I am currently the Director of the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute in Berkeley, a National User Facility that serves the broad scientific community with integrative and advanced genomic technologies. I also lead JGI’s Science Program for Secondary Metabolites.

The pandemic has reaffirmed our values of collaboration and connection, and our sense of community. I would say that all of us have longed for the time when we could return to in-person meetings and those informal discussions that seed creative and innovative projects. Our recent Annual Meeting bought us together again, many as their first in-person conference in 2+ years. It was great to meet many of you and feel energized by the lively discussions and terrific scientific presentations.

As I look to this year of serving SIMB as President, my priorities for this next year are:

• • Ensuring SIMB represents and promotes cutting-edge science and applications in industrial microbiology
• • Nurture existing and cultivate new industry participation in SIMB
• • Expand benefits and resources for students/postdocs/early-career scientists and technicians
• • Continue outreach to other Societies to synergize and complement member offerings
• • Explore what role SIMB can play in advocacy and policy for the bioeconomy

I want to be an accessible and approachable President and look forward to hearing all of your ideas for how SIMB can best serve you and the scientific community at large. Feel free to drop me a line at the e-mail address below. Additionally, I will be setting up monthly SIMB member Zoom calls, open to all SIMB members, to hear ideas, answer questions and meet you.

In the meantime, come and see me at SIMB’s next in-person conference, RAFT^®14, held November 6–9, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Hotel in Bonita Springs, Florida.

I look forward to a great year for SIMB!

Best wishes,

Nigel J. Mouncey
SIMB President
njmouncey@gmail.com

About SIMB
The Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to the advancement of microbiological sciences, especially as they apply to industrial products, biotechnology, materials, and processes. Founded in 1949, SIMB promotes the exchange of scientific information through its meetings and publications, and serves as liaison among the specialized fields of microbiology. Membership in the Society is extended to all scientists and companies in the general field of microbiology.