A summary of the 16th EDM in Spain!!
Hello, dear diatomologists!
The 16th European Diatom Meeting (https://edm2026.es/home) took place during the second week of July (6–10) and we wanted to highlight the incredible support and opportunities that were provided to young researchers throughout the meeting.
The participation of young researchers was exceptionally high, representing more than 60% of the participants. In total, 145 researchers from 26 different countries took part in the meeting, with 61 oral presentations held across two parallel rooms and 76 posters presented in three thematic sessions. And three plenary talks focusing on marine benthic diatoms, diatom speciation and adaptation, and diatom communities in temporary rivers.
All participants at La Merced Campus, University of Murcia, where the meeting took place.
We also had specific sessions focused on networking, including the meeting with the Red de Diatomólogos Hispanohablantes, the Young ISDR session, and the Flash Talks! This last one was a real success, with young diatomologists sharing from food that reminded them of diatoms (a Croissant Encyonema, anyone? 🥐) to music made by diatoms, traditional regional dances, and even live Indian music!
María and Raquel moments before the Flash Talks began!
And since María and I have already talked quite a lot about our experience, we want to pass the mic to Natalia Costa and Irene Llamas, recipients of the ISDR travel grants. A big thank you to ISDR for supporting young researchers through these opportunities as well!
What did the participants think?
Natalia Costa, I am currently completing my master’s degree at Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal), within the Microbial Ecology and Evolution Research Group. My research has focused on the microbiome of the red alga Porphyra and the biotechnological potential of diatom-bacteria interactions. By integrating molecular, morphological and bioassay-based
Natalia next to her poster during the meeting!
approaches, I investigate bacterial antagonists as potential biocontrol agents to mitigate diatom proliferation and enhance sustainability and productivity of seaweed aquaculture. During the meeting, I had the opportunity to attend the European Diatom Meeting in sunny Murcia, Spain. The meeting began with a full day of workshops, where I was introduced to digital tools that can make diatom teaching and research more accessible and collaborative. We also received a warm welcome at Murcia City Hall, where we enjoyed a wonderful performance by a traditional folk dance group, a memorable introduction to the meeting and local culture. The plenary lectures and parallel sessions were equally fascinating and choosing which sessions to attend was incredibly difficult, I wish I could have attended them all! I also had the opportunity to present my poster, entitled “Isolation and characterization of cultivable epiphytic diatoms from commercial Atlantic nori Porphyra umbilicalis and P. dioica”, a great opportunity to share my work and connect with others in the same field. Meeting other early-career researchers, exchanging ideas about our work, learning about different approaches, and speaking in person with leading researchers whom I had previously known only by their surnames in the papers I had read, was a truly priceless experience. Their valuable insights, thoughtful suggestions, and kind, encouraging attitude made the experience even more rewarding. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my advisors Tina Keller-Costa and Ana Amorim, as well as to my collaborators and colleagues for the continuous support. I am also deeply thankful to the International Society for Diatom Research (ISDR), Young ISDR and European Diatom Meeting organizing committee for providing me with this amazing opportunity. Attending the meeting was motivating and inspiring and it marked an important milestone in my academic journey, further strengthening my enthusiasm for this field.
Irene Llamas, The 16th European Diatom Meeting may have set a record for the hottest European Diatom Meeting! I had the opportunity to attend and present part of my ongoing PhD research at the University of Barcelona, receiving valuable feedback from other researchers. My work focuses on marine diatoms from the Denmark Strait, a key gateway between the Arctic and the subpolar North Atlantic. Using X-ray microanalysis, I investigate the elemental composition of individual diatom cells to better understand their role in marine biogeochemical cycles. The conference began with a day of workshops. One of the highlights of the Confocal Microscopy and FESEM sessions was the opportunity to observe our own samples, making the workshops both practical and highly interactive. In the evening, we were welcomed at Murcia City Hall with a warm reception, where we enjoyed traditional folk dances and songs from the region. Following the workshops, the scientific programme covered a wide range of topics, including taxonomy, molecular approaches, ecology and even the use of diatoms in forensic sciences. The flash talks were especially memorable. Open to all participants, they created a fun and relaxed atmosphere where science met creativity through music, games, acroyoga, and other original contributions, all with diatoms as the stars of the show! The conference concluded with the award ceremony, recognising the best oral presentations and posters, followed by the gala dinner at the historic Real Casino de Murcia, one of the city’s most remarkable buildings. Finally, the field trips also provided a chance to discover the region from a different perspective. During the boat cruise across the Mar Menor coastal lagoon, participants even had the opportunity to enjoy a swim, which was more than welcome! Many thanks to the organising committee and volunteers for their work in making this meeting such a success, and to the International Society for Diatom Research for supporting early-career researchers through the travel grants. We returned home with new ideas and connections, and we are already looking forward to the next EDM!
Philip Mones, currently completing his Master’s degree, highlighted the importance of the meeting from an early-career perspective. Beyond receiving useful feedback on his research and Master’s thesis, he appreciated the opportunity to meet new people, build connections within the diatom community, and learn about possible career paths beyond his current studies.
Cheers to a very successful meeting! 🥂
For those who haven’t heard this story (we never get tired of telling it! hehe :)). Together with María Cid-Rodríguez, after attending the 15th EDM in Ohrid, we could not stop thinking about how wonderful it would be to organise such an event in our home country, Spain. So, the idea in the first place came from two PhD students. (Young researchers reading this: please be motivated to coordinate and talk about your ideas. Sometimes, it is possible to make them happen!) But the truth is that none of this would have been possible without the support of Marina Aboal in the first place, and the rest of the local organising committee, as well as all the other volunteers who were always willing to help whenever needed.
We would also like to thank all the diatomologists who contributed to the meeting as workshop instructors, chairs, and advisors, as well as our sponsors, the University of Murcia, and the event company Congresos Vértice Sur, the cafeteria team and the technical and sound team, whose work helped everything run smoothly!
