From the President - 2025
Nothing ever seems to move slowly in the world of microscopy, and here we are approaching the end of another action-packed year!
I’d like to take this opportunity to revisit the last 12 months as a whole at the RMS, and highlight a few of the Society’s achievements in 2025.
Throughout the year, we’ve seen some fantastic and well attended events covering the whole spectrum of microscopy, imaging and flow cytometry across the sciences. As a whole, the RMS delivered more than 30 events with a total of more than 3,150 registered attendees. This included a host of courses and workshops that delivered training to 124 participants. It was also a year in which our flagship event, the Microscience Microscopy Congress (mmc2025), further enhanced its reputation as an essential fixture in the microscopy calendar, with a great turn-out, a superb scientific programme, and a world-class trade exhibition.
It was my great pleasure to be directly involved as a tutor on our recent Facility Management Training Course over a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days here in York. This is a really impactful course which brings together people at different career stages – from those experienced in running a core facility to those who are simply keen to learn more about the field. It’s a genuinely collaborative event and there is always something to learn for everyone – including the organisers. Our attendees were a privilege to work with and I look forward to seeing all their careers blossom.
Earlier this month, I was also involved in overseeing our third annual Virtual European Flow Cytometry Facilities Meeting – for which wewelcomed more than 350 attendees from over 40 different countries! This is a great, free event for colleagues from across the continent – and further afield – to discuss best practices and get to grips with all the latest issues. I personally feel the establishment of this meeting as a regular fixture is a really significant achievement for the RMS, underlining its position as a truly international Society with a global reach.
Rewinding slightly, it was good to see the RMS taking part as an exhibitor, in support of two recent UK meetings in November. Firstly we joined our friends at the Scottish Microscopy Society for their annual Symposium in Aberdeen, and this was swiftly followed by a trip to Nottingham to take part in the Cryo Microscopy Group Meeting 2025. Throughout the year, our staff have been stepping up their presence at external events, seeking in-person conversations about the benefits of RMS membership and the work that we do. Like any member-based organisation, our future depends on maintaining a strong presence within our community, and communicating our offer effectively. In the end, nothing beats that face-to-face interaction!
Our Outreach and Education activities have continued apace, with our Microscope Activity Kits fully booked out to primary schools and other youth settings until Spring 2026. This scheme has been running since 2011 and is a real jewel in the RMS crown. Meanwhile our Summer Studentship scheme provided financial support for six undergraduate students to complete microscopy-based projects over the summer, and I look forward to reading their reports in our next issue of infocus! For those already working in microscopy, we continue to offer the opportunity to study for an RMS Diploma - a great, portfolio-based qualification to hold. As I write, we currently have 10 candidates undertaking the diploma, from countries including Croatia and New Zealand.
Our flagship publication, the Journal of Microscopy, continues to make great strides with the number of articles published online increasing by five per cent on the previous year, overseen by a dynamic editorial board. This year the Journal published four special issues – on Botanical Microscopy, Microscopy Techniques, a Festschrift for Professor Paul Walther, and most recently, an issue dedicated to Ptychography. I was honoured to feature as one of the guest editors for this latest issue, alongside Andy Maiden and Laura Clark – both of whom I have to credit with having done the bulk of the work in putting this together (many thanks!).
There is so much more I could highlight in terms of our activities, but too little space here, sadly. As such, I’d like to say a few words about the people at the heart of everything we do. Firstly, I’d like to pay tribute to our brilliant volunteers, who are so generous with their time and energy in serving the RMS. It’s a real privilege to sit on several of our Committees, and to see first-hand how the members are moving the Society forward with a raft of new ideas and initiatives for the benefit of the microscopy, imaging and flow cytometry communities in this swiftly evolving world. Many others also give up their time as helpers at events, as Ambassadors, or by supporting our outreach activities, and they are a huge asset to the Society.
I must also pay tribute to the RMS staff, who are always there behind the scenes – doing the heavy lifting and ensuring that the Society’s aims and ideas are smoothly translated into action and impact. The RMS is special in that we have dedicated staff to support all our activities, which is unusual in the world of microscopy. It makes everything we do so much easier and shouldn’t be overlooked or underappreciated. My sincere thanks go to Sali Davis and her team at our Oxford offices.
And finally, I would like to give special thanks to all our members – wherever you are in the world. Ultimately, this is your society, and your kind contributions, membership fees and volunteering make all of this possible.
Here’s to 2026!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Dr Peter O’Toole, RMS President