American Society for Microbiology

What American Society for Microbiology does

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is a nonprofit professional society founded in 1899 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., serving 38,000+ members across 168 countries. ASM operates as the primary professional home for microbiologists worldwide, providing peer-reviewed publishing, professional certification, conferences, and advocacy across academic, clinical, government, and industry segments of the microbial sciences community. Its leadership team is headed by CEO Stefano Bertuzzi with CXO coverage across HR (Kimberly Shankle), finance (Chris DeCesaris), operations (Jonathan Stevens-Garcia), technology (Thomas A. Lyons), advocacy (Allen Segal), marketing and communications (Catherine Ort-Mabry), and business development (Christine Rousseau).

ASM's core products are organized around four pillars: (1) publishing, with 18+ peer-reviewed journals hosted at journals.asm.org, ASM Press books in partnership with Wiley, the integrated ClinMicroNow subscription platform, and the Microcosm digital magazine; (2) conferences, anchored by the flagship ASM Microbe annual meeting plus ASMCUE, ABRCMS, IMARI, and ASM BIG events; (3) certification and training, including the ABMM board certification recognized under HHS/CLIA and in 12 states, CPEP fellowships, and the ASM-WSU certificate program; and (4) community and advocacy infrastructure, delivered through ASM Connect, unified SSO across ASM websites, 168+ listservs, Career Connections job board, and the ASM Advocacy Network. The technology stack integrates SSO, a members-only community platform, and a journals platform supporting scale across millions of article accesses.

Revenue is generated through five streams: recurring annual membership dues from 38,000+ members; recurring journal subscriptions, institutional licensing, and book sales via the Wiley partnership; one-time conference registration, sponsorship, and exhibitor fees; one-time ABMM certification application ($450 members / $575 non-members) and exam ($400) fees plus recertification ($600-$690); and recurring industry partnership programs. Distribution is hybrid, with self-serve membership enrollment and individual journal access alongside enterprise institutional licensing, conference sales, and proctored certification exams administered globally through testing centers.

Name

American Society for Microbiology

Legal name

American Society for Microbiology

Website

https://asm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ASM is a 127-year-old nonprofit professional society serving 38,000+ microbiologists across 168 countries, generating revenue through membership dues, peer-reviewed journals and books (with Wiley), the ASM Microbe conference, and ABMM certification recognized under CLIA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Publishing

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

STM Publishing (Science, Technical & Medical) (MPAJABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory (OSHA/HSE/GxP) Certifications (EDAAANAJ)

Keywords

• Scientific publishing
• Professional certification
• Scientific conferences
• Continuing education
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ASM generates revenue through annual membership dues from its 38,000+ members worldwide. Members receive access to journals, publications, conferences, professional development resources, and member-exclusive content including Microcosm magazine.
2. Scientific Publishing: Revenue from journal subscriptions, book sales, and publication fees through ASM Press in partnership with Wiley. ASM publishes 19+ peer-reviewed journals and produces textbooks, reference manuals, and professional resources in print and digital formats.
3. Conferences and Events: Revenue generated from annual conferences and events including ASM Microbe, ASMCUE, ABRCMS, and other professional gatherings. Includes registration fees, sponsorships, and exhibitor revenue.
4. Certifications and Fellowships: Revenue from certification exams including ABMM (American Board of Medical Microbiology) with application fees of $450 for members and $575 for non-members, plus exam registration fees of $400. Also includes CPEP fellowship programs and ASM-WSU certificate program.
5. Corporate and Industry Partnerships: ASM offers industry partnership programs allowing companies to engage with ASM members and access scientific expertise. The society also provides sponsor and exhibitor opportunities at conferences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ASM is a nonprofit professional society that publishes 18+ peer-reviewed microbiology journals, hosts flagship conferences such as ASM Microbe and ASMCUE, administers professional certifications including ABMM and CPEP fellowships, delivers continuing education and clinical microbiology guidelines, and advocates for evidence-based science policy on behalf of its 38,000+ members across 168 countries.

Product overview

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is a professional organization offering a comprehensive suite of products and services for the microbiology community. ASM operates primarily as a content and certification organization rather than a software company. The portfolio includes 18 peer-reviewed scientific journals (hosted at journals.asm.org), major conferences including ASM Microbe and ASMCUE, professional certification programs (ABMM, CPEP Fellowship, ASM-WSU Certificate Program), online platforms (ASM Connect community, Career Connections job board, ClinMicroNow subscription database), publications (ASM Press textbooks, Microcosm magazine), webinars and educational resources, clinical laboratory guidelines, and an advocacy network for science policy. ASM's three Scientific Units (ASM Health, ASM Applied & Environmental Microbiology, ASM Mechanism Discovery) coordinate research priorities and initiatives. All ASM websites use a unified Single Sign-On (SSO) system for member authentication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Microcosm: ASM's flagship member magazine featuring groundbreaking research in microbial sciences
• ASM Press
• ASM Microbe
• ASM-WSU Certificate Program
• ASM Connect

Products and services

• ASM Journals (18 peer-reviewed titles)
• ASM Microbe Annual Conference
• ASMCUE (ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators)
• ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students)
• ABMM Board Certification
• CPEP Fellowship
• ASM-WSU Microbiology Certificate Program
• ClinMicroNow
• ASM Press Books
• ASM Career Connections

Quantifiable outcome

• 38,000+ members served across 168 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiley serves as ASM's primary publishing partner for ASM Press. Together they create textbooks, reference manuals, professional resources, and general interest titles in both print and digital formats. ASM members receive a 20% discount on all ASM titles. The partnership also includes the ClinMicroNow online platform integrating ASM's gold standard clinical microbiology publications.
• Global One Health Diagnostics Access Compact (GO-Dx)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASM joined as a signatory to the Global One Health Diagnostics Access Compact, a coalition of more than 20 international partners announced during the G7 One Health Summit in Lyon, France. The compact aims to close diagnostic gaps across human, animal, and environmental health through four pillars: improving access to diagnostics, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, investing in R&D, and increasing valuation and integration of diagnostics.
• International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASM and IUMS jointly launched an initiative to identify and prioritize microbial solutions for climate change, convening a diverse expert group to evaluate existing technologies based on scientific evidence, economic viability, and global implementability. This collaboration leverages AI and large-scale data curation to advance microbe-based innovations in the bioeconomy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Chemical Society (ACS): ACS is the closest structural peer to ASM: a large U.S.-based scientific professional society with a major peer-reviewed journal portfolio, books division (ACS Books), conferences, membership dues, and a certification/testing arm. Both monetize scientific content, community, and credentials in a nearly identical stack.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): AAAS publishes Science and Science-family journals, runs annual meetings, and operates as a broad scientific membership society. ASM parallels AAAS in the journal/conference/advocacy model but specializes in microbiology rather than general science.
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB): FASEB is a federation of life science societies that runs conferences (Experimental Biology), publishes journals, and advocates on science funding. It is a direct comparable in operating model and constituency overlap (biomedical and life sciences).
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): ASBMB publishes the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, runs conferences, and operates as a membership society for molecular life scientists. ASM and ASBMB serve adjacent scientific communities with the same dues/journals/conference revenue mix.
• British Society for Microbiology: The Microbiology Society (UK) is the most direct international peer: a microbiology-specific professional society publishing peer-reviewed journals (Microbiology, Journal of General Virology) and running microbiology-focused conferences. Strongly comparable in mission, product mix, and constituency.

Broad incumbents

• Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature): Nature Portfolio publishes flagship microbiology-adjacent journals (Nature Microbiology, Nature Reviews Microbiology) and competes directly with ASM for high-impact microbiology submissions. As a much larger commercial publisher, it represents the dominant incumbent against which ASM's journals compete.
• Elsevier (Cell Press and general microbiology): Elsevier publishes Cell Host & Microbe, Current Opinion in Microbiology, and numerous clinical microbiology journals — making it one of ASM's largest commercial competitors in the microbiology publishing space, while also offering far broader portfolio breadth.

Others

• Wiley (publishing partner and competitor): Wiley is ASM's publishing partner for ASM Press books and ClinMicroNow, but also publishes competing microbiology journals (e.g., through its Wiley Online Library). The dual partner/competitor relationship is material to ASM's distribution strategy.

Emerging players

• PLOS: PLOS is a nonprofit open access publisher whose model (PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology) represents the disruptive publishing paradigm that threatens traditional subscription-based societies like ASM. Comparable in nonprofit mission but divergent in business model.

Regional players

• International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS): IUMS is the global umbrella organization for microbiology societies, of which ASM is a key member. The two jointly launched a microbial-solutions-for-climate initiative and overlap substantively on international microbiology programming, though IUMS operates at an international rather than national level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ASMicrobiology
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL1DFmJFZvefhxNFJpK5rVRB9JFKOIiQm1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-society-for-microbiology
• Facebookfacebook.com/asmfan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Society for Microbiology