In your opinion, what have been the most noteworthy advances in the field of microbiology research in the past 15 years? 

The plethora of viruses we are now aware of.

The evolutionary history of vertebrate RNA viruses
Mang Shi, Xian-Dan Lin, Xiao Chen, Jun-Hua Tian, Liang-Jun Chen, Kun Li, Wen Wang, John-Sebastian Eden, Jin-Jin Shen, Li Liu, Edward C. Holmes & Yong-Zhen Zhang Nature 556,197–202 (2018)

Looking forward, what do you expect to be the most exciting advances in the next few years?

The raison d'etre of viruses

Neo-Virology: the raison d'etre of viruses.
Watanabe T. and Kawaoka Y. Uirusu. 66, 155-162 (2016)

Do you have a favourite article that was published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, and if so, can you tell us why?

The evolution of seasonal influenza viruses.
Velislava N. Petrova & Colin A. Russell Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 47–60 (2018)

It is a thorough review of the field.

You have written for Nature Reviews Microbiology in the past, can you tell us about the experience?  

Many people read and cited our Review in Nature Reviews Microbiology. So, clearly, it attracts many readers.

Read the Reviews by Yoshihiro Kawaoka and colleagues here:

At the centre: influenza A virus ribonucleoproteins
Amie J. Eisfeld, Gabriele Neumann & Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Nature Reviews Microbiology 13,28–41 (2015)

Influenza: lessons from past pandemics, warnings from current incidents
Taisuke Horimoto & Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Nature Reviews Microbiology 3, 591–600 (2005)