On behalf of the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) Board of Directors and Membership Committee,

The SIVB was founded in 1946 as the Tissue Culture Association and we recently celebrated our 80th Anniversary as a professional scientific society at the 2026 annual In Vitro Biology Meeting in Reno, NV. The guiding Mission of the SIVB is to foster the scientific and technical growth of its members, conduct biotechnology research to understand biology at the cellular and developmental level, and to support the scientific knowledge base for the benefit of society. The Vision of the SIVB is to be recognized as a progressive leader in advancing in vitro science while representing biotechnology research in all living organisms. The SIVB is dedicated to fostering the exchange of knowledge of in vitro biology of cells, tissues, and organs with a focus on animal (human, vertebrate, invertebrate) and plant biotechnology and genomics.

One of the strengths of the SIVB is that our membership is comprised of an In Vitro Animal Cell Sciences Section (IVACS) and a Plant Biotechnology Section (PBS) with elected officers representing each section. To learn more about the scientific interests of our membership you can review the Program from our 2026 In Vitro Biology Meeting. As the incoming SIVB President, I want to share with you the many benefits of joining the SIVB membership.

The annual SIVB In Vitro Biology Meeting provides a great opportunity for learning about recent scientific advances, networking and professional growth, and presenting research as a poster or invited talk. All SIVB members receive a discounted rate on the registration fee for the annual meeting. The SIVB has a long history of promoting the professional development of students and postdocs. The Society has several Student Travel Awards (Wilton R. Earle Award, Honor B. Fell Award, Hope E. Hopps Award, Cellular Toxicology Award, Gordon Sato and Wally McKeehan Award, Joseph F. Morgan Award, Marietta Wheaton Saunders Award, John S. Song Award, Philip R. White Award, SIVB Student Travel Award) and the Barbara M. Reed Early Career Travel Grant to financially assist awardees with costs associated with attending the annual meeting. To promote the professional development of students and postdocs the annual meeting has a Student Poster Competition and Student and Postdoctoral Oral Presentation Competitions. The SIVB Education Committee plans networking sessions and workshops at the annual In Vitro Biology Meeting for our students and postdoc members. Students who register for and attend the annual meeting currently receive free SIVB membership for the following year. The annual meeting also provides opportunities for leadership and professional growth that include planning and convening workshops, plenary sessions, and symposia.

Members of the Society receive full access to one of our peer-reviewed journals, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Animal or In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Plant which are published by SpringerNature. We encourage all SIVB members to submit their research to our journals for potential publication, and there are opportunities to serve as a peer reviewer for our journals. SIVB also publishes a quarterly online newsletter called the In Vitro Report which serves as a platform for the SIVB membership to communicate with each other outside of the annual meeting.

Leadership opportunities exist for SIVB members. These include serving as a Chair or a member of one of the SIVB Committees (Awards, Student Awards, Constitution and Bylaws, Development, Education, Ad Hoc Student Affairs, Finance, Laboratory Materials and Biosafety, Long Range Planning, Membership, Nominating, Program, Public Policy, Publications, and Social Engagement). Members can also be nominated to run for an elected position on the SIVB Board of Directors or as an Officer for the IVACS Section or PB Section.

The Membership Committee has implemented new initiatives for the SIVB. The MATCH (Mentoring and Talent Cultivation Hub) Mentoring Program for students and postdocs has been established. The MATCH Program provides mentoring to students and postdoc members to foster professional growth, career development, and engagement within the SIVB community. The SIVB has also partnered with the Council for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAST) to offer webinars on topics such as Career Development, Gene-Edited Crops, and AI in In Vitro Research.

The Society offers several awards to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of SIVB members. These awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Early Career Award, Fellow Award and Distinguished Scientist Award, and are presented to the awardees at the annual In Vitro Biology Meeting.

As you can see there are many benefits to joining the SIVB. We invite you to join our scientific community and hope to welcome you to the Society for In Vitro Biology!

Michael J. Fay, PhD
Professor, Midwestern University
SIVB President, 2026 - 2028