ChinaBiofilms 2017, is a series of biennial international meetings on microbial biofilms, initiated by Dr. Mark Shirtliff from University of Maryland and Dr. Zhenbo Xu from South China University of Technology. Starting in October 2017, the 1st International Symposium on Biofilms (ChinaBiofilms 2017) was held from October 20-22, 2017 .

As the founder and president of ChinaBiofilms, Dr. Shirtliff has contributed to organize the workshop and symposium together with the organizing committee. ChinaBiofilms is a great opportunity for participants to present their recent research progress, foster new collaborations on microbial biofilms, and also building bridges between relevant research enterprises in China and international universities.