Connecting Wales through Microscopy: The Launch of the Welsh Microscopical Society (infocus #82 June 2026)

How a new national network aims to strengthen collaboration, visibility and opportunity across Welsh science.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.321

I do microscopy because I love being the first to see theunseen. Cryo-EM reveals atomic level details of proteins and helps us understand how these tiny molecular machines power every biological function in every single cell. I am a Welsh-American structural biologist and in 2022 I moved to the UK to start my postdoctoral research. Much like my proteins, finding the Welsh scientific community proved elusive but that is not due to a lack of STEM excellence.

Wales is home to world-class research institutions, advanced imaging facilities, industrial innovation, expertise and ambition. It has people doing cutting-edge, technically demanding work however, these strengths have not always been easy to see, connect, coordinate or advocate for at a national level.

On May 19th 2026, this changed with the launch of the Welsh Microscopical Society (WMS) and I hope you enjoy reading the origin story in the following pages.

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