About
Electron Microscopy (EM), originally developed by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll in the 1930s, is a high resolution imaging technique that provides key insights into the fundamental structure of all materials, both inorganic and organic. The EM Section of the RMS covers a wide range of expertise in sample preparation, imaging and analysis for scanning EM, transmission EM, STEM, volume EM, cryo EM, spatial analytical techniques and correlative imaging, with applications in the physical and life sciences. Section expertise also includes X-ray microscopy, which is often closely associated with EM analysis, sometimes as part of a multimodal workflow. These topics are the basis of various meetings and courses organised by the RMS in collaboration with the wider community and catering for all levels of user, from the beginner through to expert, and often considering emergent techniques and novel instrumentation. The Section includes representation from other EM groups and societies, including the Association of Clinical Electron Microscopists (ACEM), the Society for Electron Microscope Technology (SEMT), the Electron Microscopy and Analysis Group (EMAG), EM-UK and BioImagingUK.
Committee members represent a cross-section of electron microscopists with a remit to represent the interests of the wider EM community. Any Society member may be nominated to serve as an ordinary committee member when vacancies arise.
The RMS is committed to being a welcoming, inclusive Society and encourages diversity across all activities and in the membership of our committees and groups.
If you are interested in joining any of the committees in the future, please visit our Join a Committee page.
RMS Section Awards
Launched in 2014, the Section Awards (formerly known as the Medal Series) recognise those who have made significant contributions to the field of microscopy. The RMS Section Awards celebrate outstanding scientific achievements across all areas of microscopy and flow cytometry with each RMS Science Section able to select a winner for their own award.
Find out more
Committee
Roland Fleck
Roland is Reader and Director of the King's Centre for Ultra Structural Imaging
Chris Parmenter
I am a seasoned electron microscopist and imaging scientist. My experience ranges from cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (cryo-TEM) of soft matter systems (polymers, proteins, liposomes, extra cellular vesicles) to focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), and particularly the development of cryo-FIB-SEM sample preparation approaches applied to soft matter systems. I have been developing the cryogenic lift-out technique since 2013 to enable cryo-TEM of bulk samples (polymers, cells, tissues). At the University of Nottingham, I am the manager of the Cryogenic Analytical and Transfer (CAT) Suite, a category 2 approved microscopy suite with an emphasis on cryogenic and correlative (light and electron) microscopy. In 2024 I will add confocal light microscopy to my skills and responsibilities in the lab. I believe that I have a wide range of skills and backgrounds to offer the RMS gained from my years in the lab and also developing training and organizational skills to fulfil my various roles. I have so far contributed to the running of two cryo-EM courses in conjunction with the RMS (2021, fully virtual and 2023 as a hybrid). I have a keen interest in the development and training of the next generation of microscopy professionals.
I am a board member of Journal of Microscopy and since 2022 is the Chair of the Cryo Microscopy Group. Since 2014 I have been the editor of Microscopy and Analysis, a global microscopy publication aimed at the professional microscopy community. I became Editor-in-Chief of M&A in 2020. I believe that this has given me a good appreciation of what is going on in microscopy, of new developments and where the field is headed. I enjoy observing this and trying to keep ahead of the curve.
Christopher Allen
Chris completed his MPhys undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Leeds in 2004. His master’s thesis, supervised by Prof. Chris Marrows, was on the interplay between ferromagnetism (FM) and superconductivity (SC) in FM/SC heterostructures. Chris returned to Leeds to study for his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Bryan Hickey investigating the link between the atomic structure and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes.
In June 2011 Chris joined the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford as a post-doctoral researcher focusing on the characterisation of carbon nanomaterials using aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
In 2016 Chris took up a role at the electron Physical Sciences Imaging Centre, a national facility for aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy based at Diamond Light Source first as Senior Electron Microscopy Scientist and then in 2019 as Principal EM Scientist. Chris’s role includes maintenance and development of the microscope, supporting users in the design, execution and analysis of experiments as well as performing his own research.
Chris’s current research is focused on low voltage STEM, TEM and diffraction studies of low dimensional and beam sensitive materials.
Hayley Andrews
Hayley is a Research Technical Professional at Manchester Metropolitan University with a passion for electron microscopy. Her interest in the field was sparked during research on biomimetic surfaces, and she has continued to build her expertise in SEM and FIB-SEM throughout her career. She now supports a broad range of research activities across the life sciences, natural sciences, and materials science, helping to deliver high-quality, interdisciplinary research through advanced imaging and analysis. Hayley is a strong advocate for the technical profession and is dedicated to increasing the visibility and recognition of technicians' vital contributions to research. She is equally committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive research culture for all.
Martha Briceno
Martha is a Principal Scientist at Johnson Matthey Technology Centre (JMTC) with over 13 years of experience. She focuses on advanced microscopy techniques such as TEM, SEM, FIB_SEM, and cryo-SEM. Martha leads the SEM & TEM group at JMTC and applies her expertise to study the structure and properties of various materials. She earned her DPhil in Materials Science from the University of Oxford and has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA). Originally from Venezuela, Martha works to support diversity in science.
Richard Collins
Richard Collins is Head of the Electron Microscopy Technology Platform in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester, where he runs a cryo-EM and EM service used by 130 researchers across more than 80 research groups.
He came to microscopy through a structural biology background, with a UMIST PhD on Photosystem II, and has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers. Since 2017 he has been Principal Investigator of Manchester's cryo-EM Block Allocation Group at eBIC, the first non-academic in the UK appointed to lead a BAG at Diamond Light Source, sustaining around £3.5M of national access through five competitive renewals. In 2025 he was elected to the Diamond Light Source User Committee as national representative of the electron microscopy community. He sits on the BBSRC People and Talent Strategy Advisory Panel RTP group, working on recognition, reward and funding routes for research technical professionals, and chairs Manchester's Imaging Across Scales group. Alongside the TEM Section Committee, he is an RTP mentor and is working with the Society on routes to chartered status for microscopy RTPs.
Patricia Goggin
Patricia is a Clinical Scientist Manager and Head of the Biomedical Imaging Unit (BIU), a joint NHS and University facility offering light, electron and X-ray imaging. Her interests include diagnostic EM, in particular for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, serial block-face SEM and bone cell anatomy and pathology. Patricia is chair of the Association of Clinical Electron Microscopists.
Gea van de Kerkhof
Gea is a microscopist focused on technique development for correlative/multi-modal imaging in the Life Sciences. She has experience with light, electron and X-ray imaging and spectroscopy. During her PhD she investigated the optics of structurally coloured bacteria and plants. Afterwards she worked at Diamond Light Source in a combined industrial role with Johnson Matthey. There, she developed techniques and workflows for in-situ liquid microscopy across the I14 nanoprobe beamline and a Cs corrected TEM. Now, she develops cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy at the Central Laser Facility, in the Octopus imaging cluster. Here, she works on cryo-FIB lift-outs, with lamella to use correlatively between super-resolution fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy.
Emanuela Liberti
Dr Emanuela Liberti is an electron microscopist specialising in the development of advanced STEM imaging and phase-retrieval methods for challenging, radiation-sensitive specimens.
She completed her PhD in Materials Science at Imperial College London, where she worked on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). She subsequently joined the Oxford Electron Image Analysis Group at the University of Oxford, developing quantitative electron imaging and phase-retrieval approaches including 4D-STEM and electron ptychography. She later worked as a Staff Scientist at the electron Physical Science Imaging Centre (ePSIC) at Diamond Light Source.
She now works as a Staff Scientist at the Rosalind Franklin Institute, where she is part of the Multidimensional Imaging Challenge. Her current research focuses on developing 4D-STEM and electron ptychographic methods for biological and radiation-sensitive materials, with interests in low-dose cryo-electron ptychography, imaging of thick specimens, and extracting three-dimensional information through advanced phase-retrieval approaches.
Judith Mantell
Judith discovered her passion for EM after a Bristol Physics degree and some materials research led to her becoming a TEM Application specialist for Philips Electron Optics, in the Netherlands and later for Oxford Instruments. Judith returned to Bristol University in 2008 and has supported the research of Paul Verkade’s Group as well as working in the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility. This support role was rewarded in 2021 with the RMS Vice Presidents Medal. Her current project is the installation of a Cryo- Plasma FIBSEM in the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences as well as direct support for the Verkade and Sharp labs. Judith is also now Secretary of the Cryo Microscopy User Group and as such has been co-opted to the RMS EM section.
Jake Richardson
Jake Richardson is Head of the Bioimaging Platform at the John Innes Centre, specialising in electron microscopy of plants and microbes, with a focus on cryo-EM workflows. He is committed to high-quality imaging, user training, and collaborative research. Beyond his technical contributions, he is a passionate advocate for research support staff, regularly participating in initiatives and conferences aimed at promoting inclusivity, recognition, and professional development in core facilities.
Rebecca Thompson
Rebecca is Facility Manager and senior cryo-electron microscopy (EM) support scientist at the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory, University of Leeds. Her research interests include imaging a broad range of biological specimens, from whole cells to macromolecular complexes, to high resolution using cryo-EM, and integrating data from EM with other microscopy techniques.
Thomas Walther
Thomas is Reader in Advanced Electron Microscopy at the University of Sheffield and Director of the Kroto Centre for High Resolution Imaging and Analysis.
His research areas include electron microscopy method development and instrumentation, in particular HREM, EFTEM, ADF-STEM, EELS, ELNES, EDX.
A focus is on quantitative analysis of semiconductor quantum wells and quantum dots, but also the study of interdiffusion and segregation at grain boundaries and within metal nano-particles.
He runs the Microscopy of Semiconducting Materials conference series which is alternatingly held in Oxford and Cambridge, always in odd years.
AGM
The 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Electron Microscopy Section of the Royal Microscopical Society will take place on Wednesday 30 September 2026 at 12:55pm during the Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 Meeting.
All the Society’s AGMs are free to attend for both members and non-members.