The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) officially released a global strategic roadmap and announced the establishment of three interim scientific advisory councils, “the Health,” “Applied and Environmental,” and “Mechanism Discovery” Scientific Advisory Councils. Professor Tao DONG, Vice Dean of the School of Life Sciences at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), was invited to join the Interim ASM Mechanism Discovery Scientific Advisory Council, becoming one of the 14 inaugural members.

Professor Tao DONG has been deeply engaged in microbial mechanism research for many years, making a series of highly cited discoveries in the fields of bacterial secretion systems, synthetic biology, and host-pathogen interactions. Professor Tao DONG has also been appointed as an editor for ASM’s classic journal, Journal of Bacteriology. Established in 1916, this journal is one of the oldest and most influential core journals in the field of microbiology.

As one of the world’s most influential microbial science academic organizations, ASM recently established three major scientific committees, focusing on key areas including public health and medical microbiology, environmental ecology and biomanufacturing, and microbial life mechanisms and fundamental mechanism analysis. The aim is to integrate diverse global academic perspectives and build interdisciplinary and cross-regional collaboration platforms, using fundamental and applied sciences to address contemporary challenges in human health, environmental ecology, and biotechnological innovation, ultimately advancing microbial science to serve human development. Among them, the Mechanism Discovery Scientific Advisory Council gathers authoritative scholars from top global institutions such as Harvard University and MIT. Professor Tao DONG’s selection marks a new milestone for SUSTech’s School of Life Sciences in its influence on the frontier of international microbiology.