The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, in collaboration with the Institute of Ocean Studies at the Southern University of Science and Technology, is ready to convene the International Conference on Geo-Omics of Archaea (2024). Building upon the success of the first conference held in Shenzhen from October 25th to 27th, 2019, this subsequent gathering aims to deepen scientific understanding of archaeal systematics and evolution, ecology and biogeochemistry, and physiology and biochemistry. These themes are critical for unraveling the influences of Archaea on global element cycling, ecosystem resilience, climate change mitigation, their role in the trajectory of life's evolution, and their innovative applications within industrial and medical domains.
As one of Earth's most recently discovered microbial lineages, Archaea thrive in some of the planet's most extreme environments, distinguished by unique physiological traits preserved since ancient times. Molecular fossils indicate their historical ubiquity in microbial communities, underscoring their past widespread distribution. Contemporary genomic research has further disclosed their extensive proliferation across "non-extreme" habitats, where they play crucial roles in biogeochemical cycles and climate change particularly related to biogas methane that is known to be sourced from methanogenic archaea only. Despite most archaeal species being uncultured, their specific contributions to ecosystem functions like the microbial carbon pump remain largely enigmatic, leaving a vast frontier for scientific exploration and discovery within the archaeal realm. With an expected attendance of approximately 200 delegates, the ICGOA 2024 anticipates the participation of about 30 eminent scientists from around the globe, poised to share authoritative insights into the significance of archaea on our planet's ecological and evolutionary processes. The ICGOA 2024 also aims to serve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through the UN Ocean Decade Program of Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (ONCE).
Chuanlun Zhang (Geo-Omics of Archaea) | Brian Hedlund (Physiology of Archaea) |
Francisco Rodriguez-Valera (Genomics of Archaea) | Laura Villanueva (Lipid Biogeochemistry of Archaea) |
Jill Banfield (Genomics of Terrestrial Subsurface Archaea); University of California, Berkeley
Hailiang Dong (Geomicrobiology); China University of Geosciences, Beijing
Patrick Forterre (Archaeal Evolution); Institut Pasteur
Li Huang (Biochemistry of Thermophilic Archaea); Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Nianzhi Jiao (Microbial Ecology); Xiamen University
Meng Li (Asgards-eukaryotes Evolution); Shenzhen University
Wenjun Li (Physiology of Halophiles); Sun Yat-Sen University
Yiliang Li (Earth System Evolution and Astrobiology); The University of Hong Kong
Jian Lin (Plate Tectonic Context for Archaeal Evolution); Southern University of Science and Technology
Chenli Liu (Synthetic Biology); Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ann Pearson (Lipid Biogeochemistry); Harvard University
Pingan Peng (Organic Geochemistry); Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peiyuan Qian (Marine Biology); The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Anna-Louise Reysenbach (Genomics and Physiology of Thermophilic Archaea); Portland State University
Christa Schleper (Physiology of Ammonia-oxidizing Archaea); University of Vienna
Qunxin She (Biology of Archaea); Shandong University
Shuzhong Shen (Earth System Evolution); Nanjing University
Quan Shi (Lipidomics-Mass Spectrometry); China University of Petroleum, Beijing
Wensheng Shu (Microbial Genomics); South China Normal University
Fengping Wang (Genomics and Physiology of Bathyarchaeota); Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shucheng Xie (Geobiology); China University of Geosciences, Wuhan
Yige Zhang (Lipid Biogeochemistry); Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guoping Zhao (Synthetic Biology); Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Maoyan Zhu (Earth System Evolution); Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Session I: Systematics and evolution
Brett Baker; The University of Texas at Austin
Lu Fan; Southern University of Science and Technology
Wei Xie; Sun Yat-Sen University
Yue Zheng; Xiamen University
Session II: Archaeal genomics and ecology
Anthony Kohtz; Montana State University
Shengwei Hou; Southern University of Science and Technology
Yunping Xu; Shanghai Ocean University
Yige Zhang; Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Session III: Archaeal physiology and biogeochemistry
Lei Cheng; Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Ivan Berg; University of Münster
Tong Si; Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhirui Zeng; Southern University of Science and Technology
Panel I: Systematics and Evolution
Chair: Chuanlun Zhang; Southern University of Science and Technology
Panel members:
Jihua Hao; University of Science and Technology of China
Jian Lin; Southern University of Science and Technology
Fan Lu; Southern University of Science and Technology
Tom Williams; University of Bristol
Panel II: Ecology and Biogeochemistry
Chair: Hongbin Liu; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Panel members:
Zhengshuang Hua; University of Science and Technology of China
Meng Li; Shenzhen University
Wei Qin; University of Oklahoma
Chris Rinke; The University of Innsbruck
Takura Nunoura; Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Panel III: Physiology and Biochemistry
Chair: Qunxin She; Shandong University
Panel members:
Ivan Berg; University of Münster
Li Huang; Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Simon Rittmann; University of Vienna
Yulong Shen; Shandong University
Zhirui Zeng; Southern University of Science and Technology
