The 2014 Gordon Conference on Bacterial Cell Surfaces will present cutting-edge research on the molecular and cellular aspects of the structure and function of the bacterial cell envelope and surface. The Conference will focus on a wide range of topics pertinent to the bacterial cell envelope and surface including protein secretion, envelope biogenesis, peptidoglycan metabolism, surface polymers and their secretion, cell division & bacterial morphogenesis, motility and surface structures, transport across the cell envelope, cellular compartmentalization and protein localization, signal sensing and transduction in cell envelope stress responses, and newly arising special topics including emerging physical methods in the analysis of the cell surface. Invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including biochemistry, molecular genetics, structural biology, cell biology and imaging. The Conference will bring together a collection of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.