Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Fellow Parasitologists,
Registration is now open for the 37th Molecular Parasitology Meeting (MPM XXXVII).
WHEN: Sunday, September 13 – Thursday, September 17, 2026 WHERE: Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA (USA) and on Zoom REGISTER: https://www.parasitesrule.com/mpm-xxxvii
MPM XXXVII will cover diverse aspects of parasite biology. Talks will be selected from submitted abstracts, prioritizing outstanding, mostly unpublished science — with emphasis on presentations by junior scientists (students and postdocs). Virtual attendance and a virtual poster session are available for those unable to attend in person.
This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Andy Waters, Professor of Molecular and Developmental Parasitology at the University of Glasgow. He pioneered stable genetic manipulation of Plasmodium berghei — technologies that now underpin the field. He is a Fellow of EMBO, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In addition, we are excited to announce a special plenary talk by Professor Dr. Balbir Singh a/l Mohan Singh, Senior Principal Fellow and founding director of the Malaria Research Centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). Dr. Singh discovered that the monkey malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi causes malaria in humans — a landmark finding with major implications for malaria eradication — and has served as a WHO advisor on zoonotic malaria.
Abstract submission deadline: June 19, 2026 (in-person and virtual).
Virtual registration fee waivers are available for scientists at institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)— built into the registration form.
Key deadlines:
· June 19 — Registration/payment for all abstract submitters (in-person and virtual)
· July 30 — In-person registration/payment (no abstract)
· September 10 — Virtual registration/payment (no abstract)
Questions? Contact mpmmeeting@gmail.com. Travel information for Woods Hole is available at https://www.mbl.edu/about/local-area-information/travel-information.
We thank the Society for the Advancement of Parasitology (SocAPar) for their support with financial logistics.
We look forward to your abstracts and seeing you in September!
Marc-Jan, Photini, Richard, Deepali, and Omar
The Roland A. Cooper Award, established in 2024, supports parasitologists from endemic regions in attending international parasitology conferences. Named in honor of Roland Cooper—a leader in malaria parasite pharmacology and genetics and a long-time advocate for researchers in the developing world—the award provides financial assistance to early-career investigators who might otherwise be unable to participate.
Andy Waters is Professor of Molecular and Developmental Parasitology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He began working on malaria vaccination in the department of Sydney Cohen at Guy’s Hospital, London before joining Tom McCutchan at NIAID, NIH where he was introduced to the molecular investigation of malaria parasite development. He joined Chris Janse in Leiden, The Netherlands to bring molecular approaches to the rodent model of malaria Plasmodium berghei that he had developed. Together they developed drug selectable genetic manipulation in the model that they have both largely worked on ever since. Andy returned to his alma mater in Glasgow to establish a group to further study the biology of the initiation and prosecution of parasite transmission with a sideline in drug resistance. Throughout he and his colleagues have attempted to generate question-inspired tools to further investigate parasite biology and make them available to the community. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), the Academy of Medical Sciences and a member of EMBO. He has received the Sir James Black Medal for Achievement in the Life Sciences from the RSE and the Lifetime achievement award from BIOMALPAR.
Previous MPM Keynote speakers (including recordings where available!)
Professor Balbir Singh is a Senior Principal Fellow and the founding director of the Malaria Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He started working on malaria at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Balbir most notably discovered that the monkey malaria parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi, causes malaria in humans. This was followed by other pioneering work on the molecular epidemiology, population genetics and clinical aspects of knowlesi malaria in Southeast Asia. He served as local secretary for Malaysia for the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, as a commissioner for The Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication and as an advisor to the WHO on zoonotic malaria.
Photini Sinnis (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Marc-Jan Gubbels (Boston College)
Richard McCulloch (The University of Glasgow)
Communications & Technical Support: Omar S. Harb (University of Pennsylvania)
Education & Inclusion lead: Deepali B. Ravel (Harvard University)
The application period is over, and applications are under review.
Application deadline is March 1st, 2026- no exceptions.
Q: When is the meeting?
A: MPM will run from Sunday, September 13, to Thursday, September 17.
Q: When do talks start and end?
A: Talks start at 7:00 PM on Sunday, September 13, and end at 11 AM on Thursday, September 17.
Q: When will I be able to register and submit my abstract?
A: Registration and abstract submission will begin in late April or early May.
Q: Where can I find abstract books from previous years?
This Code of Conduct covers the in-person, virtual (online) or hybrid Molecular Parasitology Meetings (MPM). MPM conferences may include keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, live poster Q&A, workshops, conference-related Slack channels, and Q&A via Zoom chat.
Updated July, 2021 (adapted from the Genetic Society of America policy)
MPM fosters an international community of parasitologists and provides opportunities for scientific discussion and collaboration. To make this experience productive and welcoming to all, and to foster open communication we ask you to adhere to MPMs code of conduct outlined below:
All conference participants (regardless of their role) are expected to follow the Code of Conduct while attending any portion of the conference, including but not limited to keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, live poster Q&A sessions, workshops, Zoom, email, social media and all conference Slack channels. This code of conduct applies to all modes of communication virtual or in-person.
Unacceptable Behaviors
Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to:
Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech or actions by any participant and at all related events
Harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments or visual images related to gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, political orientation, socioeconomic, disability or ability status, or other personal characteristics, including those protected by law
Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images (including presentation slides, posters, Slack channels, or Zoom chat)
Deliberate intimidation or stalking
Violating the rules and regulations of the online provider, Zoom
Sustained disruption of scientific sessions or other events
Unwelcome and uninvited attention or contact
Real or implied threat of physical harm
Real or implied threat of professional or financial damage or harm
Photographing or reproducing slides of oral presentations and posters without permission
Recording of scientific and other sessions without permission
Taking action or making a report
MPM organizers take any complaints seriously. If you need to report a Code of Conduct violation, please reach out to the meeting organizers.
Consequences of non-compliance
Anyone asked by MPM organizers, a Session Chair, Workshop Leader, Moderator, Presenter, or Zoom representative to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. Retaliation toward MPM or toward someone reporting an incident or after experiencing any of the following consequences will not be tolerated and may result in additional sanctions.
The consequences of non-compliance with MPM’s Code of Conduct may include:
Immediate removal from accessing the online meeting and Slack channels without warning
Restrictions from future MPM meeting attendance
Incidents may be reported to the proper authorities
Diversity and Inclusion
MPM is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion to create greater opportunity for any individual to fulfil their scientific potential, irrespective of their background, gender, or circumstances. This diversity leads to innovation by attracting the widest possible talent to the community and fostering a greater diversity of ideas, approaches, and perspectives. The Organizing Committee aims to select speakers and session chairs that represent the breadth and diversity of the discipline and conference participants.
Social Media/Photo/Video Policy
Live tweeting of presentations is allowed unless the speaker explicitly opts out by stating so at the start of their talk. Taking or sharing photos, videos, or reproductions of posters is not permitted unless you have the presenter’s consent.
Posters
When you view poster materials at the conference, remember that posters are typically works in progress. We expect poster attendees to treat virtual posters exactly as they would in-person posters and not to cite or reproduce any part of them without permission of the presenter.
The Molecular Parasitology Meeting (MPM) takes place annually at the Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (MA), USA.
Address:
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543
U.S.A.
Phone Number: +1-508-548-3705
Travel information to Woods Hole available here:
https://www.mbl.edu/about/local-area-information/travel-information