Symbiotic interactions form the foundation of biological systems. These most complex interactions span scales ranging from the human gut microbiome to global ocean communities. With the ever-increasing understanding of their importance in biodiversity, planetary, and human health, it is becoming crucial to understand symbiotic interactions in their intricate detail.

The Young Academy Distinguished Lecture Series brings cutting-edge scholarship to the public, presented by distinguished experts and members of the Young Academy. This current lecture will provide insights into the important role of cooperation between organisms in the biosphere, a concept that is, thanks to the groundbreaking work of Margaret McFall-Ngai and many others, now widely recognised.

Guest: Margaret McFall-Ngai - California Institute of Technology & Carnegie Science
Hosts: Jillian Petersen - University of Vienna & Young Academy, OeAW
& Oleg Simakov - University of Vienna & Young Academy, OeAW

Date: Tuesday, 21 April 2026, 5:00 PM
Place: Johannessaal, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna)