Dear colleagues and friends,

We are pleased to announce that the Early Career Researcher Symposium on Cyanobacteria (CyanoVAAM 2025) will be held in Kaiserslautern (Germany) August 27-29, 2025. The symposium is particularly aimed at young researchers, including PhD and master's students.

Symposium starts at 1 pm on the 27th with registration and ends on the 29th at around 1 pm.

The meeting venue will be the RPTU University of Kaiserslautern. Kaiserslautern is situated in southwest Germany at the edge of the Palatinate Forest and can be easily reached by train from Frankfurt International Airport (~ 1.5 hours).

Tentative programs/topics:

• Regulation, signaling and physiology of Cyanobacteria
• Photosynthesis and light harvesting
• Synthetic biology and viruses
• Ecology of Cyanobacteria
• Open topic

We hope to see you all in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 2025.

Further information soon

Contact email: bio-cyano2025(at)rptu.de

Organizing Committee:

Jacqueline Hackh (Kaiserslautern, DE)

Miguel Fernandez (Kaiserslautern, DE)

Nicola Sekularac (Kaiserslautern, DE)

Nina Bäuerle (Kaiserslautern, DE)

Thomas Schmidt (Kaiserslautern, DE)

Dear colleagues and friends,

We are pleased to announce that the 16^th International Conference on Tetrapyrrole Photoreceptors of Photosynthetic Organisms (ICTPPO) will be held in Kaiserslautern (Germany) August 24-27, 2025. This biennial conference brings together established and young scientists around the world to discuss recent research advances, new techniques and next challenges in the field of tetrapyrrole photoreceptors. As in the past, this meeting will feature the structures, dynamics and diverse biological functions of this fast-expanding family of photoreceptors, including the phytochrome superfamily, light-harvesting complexes, photosynthetic apparati as well as the newly characterized B₁₂-based photoreceptors. The session topics will also address how tetrapyrrole-based systems are regulated and integrated in photosynthetic organisms; how they can be exploited, repurposed and engineered for biomedical and renewable energy applications. The meeting
will be held at the University of Kaiserslautern. Kaierslautern is situated in southwest Germany at the edge of the Palatinate Forest and can be easily reached by train from Frankfurt International Airport (~ 1.5 hours).

We are currently working on the lineup of invited speakers who are leaders and/or rising stars in the field. This conference encourages participation of students, early career investigators and under-represented groups. ICTPPO2025 offers a unique forum for young scientists to present their research and to explore career opportunities.

Tentative programs/topics:

• Diversity of photoreceptors in photosynthetic organisms
• Structures and functions of light-harvesting and photosynthetic complexes
• New tools, systems and concepts
• Rising stars (young investigator session)
• Optogenetics and synthetic biology
• Biosynthesis, metabolism and catabolism of tetrapyrrole pigments
• Structures and functions of signaling photoreceptors
• Ultrafast dynamics and molecular mechanisms

The tentative deadline for abstract submission is March 1, 2025.

We hope to see you all in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 2025.

For further information please contact ictppo2025(at)rptu.de

International Organizing Committee:

Nicole Frankenberg-Dinkel (Kaiserslautern, DE; conference chair)

Tina Dominguez Martin (Cordoba, ES)

Gen Enomoto (Tokyo, JP)

Wolfgang Gärtner (Leipzig, DE)

Bernhard Grimm (Berlin, DE)

Dennis Nürnberg (Berlin, DE)

Mai Watanabe (Tokyo, JP)