In the midst of a pandemic, societal awareness of the importance of microbiology and microbiologists has never been more evident. However, beyond the pandemic, microbiology underpins many other major issues of our time and we need to train the next generation of microbiologists to be able to address these problems. Microbes impact the health and wellbeing of humans and animals in a variety of ways. Problems include superbugs resistant to the majority of clinically available antibiotics and microbes as the causative agent of chronic diseases such as cancer. Microbes are also crucial factors in causing and solving major environmental issues such as production and consumption of greenhouse gases, climate change and the longevity of planet Earth through novel mechanisms of energy production.