Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Pathogens, I am pleased to announce the two winners of the 2018 Travel Awards sponsored by Pathogens. These were granted to Dr. Ana Raquel Pinho Freitas, Post-Doc Researcher at UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, The Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (in the laboratory of Prof. Luísa Peixe) and to Dr. Anna Conrad, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA (in the laboratory of Prof. Pierluigi (Enrico) Bonello). The awards consist of 800 Swiss Francs each, to support attendance at an academic conference of their choice in 2018.

Dr. Ana Raquel Pinho Freitas‘s main interests and expertise include molecular epidemiology and evolutionary biology, with an emphasis on the genetic basis for transmission of antibiotic resistance and the adaptation of Enterococcus spp. and, to a lesser extent, Staphylococcus spp. to different hosts ( human, animal, food and the environment ).

Dr. Anna Conrad’s research focuses on mechanisms of oak resistance to Phytophthora ramorum infection and on the development of methods to predict resistance within natural populations.

We had a significant number of high quality applications for the awards and would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. We congratulate the winners for their accomplishments and wish them an enjoyable experience at their conferences.
 

Prof. Lawrence S. Young
Editor-in-Chief