From the President - infocus Magazine September 2026
Dear Readers,
As this is my last contribution to infocus as RMS President (my three years in this fantastic role are up at the end of September!), I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the progress we have made as a Society in that time.
Serving as RMS President is an incredible honour and a privilege. It is also a big responsibility, and I’ve learned that sometimes it is the things you don’t say that can be just as important as the things you do say – or even more so. As someone who often vocalises in real time, that has definitely been an important lesson! It has been so rewarding to represent the Society at meetings, conferences and in other settings, and to see the difference it is making at an individual level. Sometimes it’s the small things that strike a chord - like a friendly comment, or a small word of thanks to, or from our members, or the smiles on people’s faces at one of our events.
At the same time as I became President three years ago, we welcomed our new Chief Executive, Sali Davis, who has done such a fantastic job in a short space of time – as well as filling some very big shoes left by her predecessor, Allison Winton. Across the Society, Sali has instilled a whole new ethos and dynamism, and it has been great to see how the staff, committee members and others have taken up the baton alongside her. Our RMS Scientific Committees are more proactive and empowered than ever, and it really feels as though the Society has begun to take its next evolutionary step. I’d also like to thank Victoria Masters, Adam Clay and the rest of the RMS staff, who have all adapted to new ways of working to meet the changing demands of our community.
It’s certainly been a busy three years across all our RMS activities, from our conferences, meetings and courses, to outreach initiatives, education and publications – all of which have made important progress in that time. We have also presided over three consecutive major events in elmi2024, mmc2025 and of course, IMC21 – upon which the dust has barely settled! (read more on p**). Delivering a series of events on this scale has been a huge challenge – and one which has been superbly met by the Society – underlining how important the RMS has become in leading and supporting the global microscopy community.
At times, global events over the past three years have also presented huge challenges for our community; in particular, we have seen significant cuts to university budgets and research programmes on an international scale. In September 2025, we stepped up to hold a virtual ‘Town Hall’ meeting for Core Facilities, providing a forum for scientists from more than 30 different countries to share their ideas for navigating a way through this difficult new environment. It was great to see the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) and Global BioImaging join us in what was such a positive meeting, with everyone discussing solutions – rather than dwelling on the many problems – and it will always be one of my proudest memories from my time as President.
In recent years the Journal of Microscopy has made huge strides under the watchful eye of General Editor Michelle Peckham. It really has become the go-to publication for a diverse and vital scientific community, covering a huge breadth of research - as well as serving as the pre-eminent Journal for Microscopy. It’s important to remember that the funds generated by the Journal are returned back to the Society and used to support all our activities. It’s why publishing in the Journal is one of the very best ways to support the RMS. Meanwhile our very own infocus Magazine is reaching new audiences as an open access publication, and I hope you are enjoying this current issue!
I also want to stress the importance of continuity at the RMS. For all that has changed, many of our longest-established events and other activities continue to make a big difference – not least our annual courses and workshops in Electron Microscopy, Light Microscopy, Flow Cytometry, Facility Management and more, all of which provide a great introduction to essential techniques and applications for so many attendees. To underline that point, next year will mark the 21st birthday of the Light Microscopy Facilities Meeting and the 10th anniversary of the Flow Cytometry Meeting – both returning to York where they both started. I’m also really looking forward to continuing my involvement in the Virtual European Flow Core Meeting (which attracted more than 400 attendees from across the world last year), running again in December as an open access online event.
Signing off, I would just like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who has helped me navigate the role of RMS President these last three years, making my job much easier in the process. I hope I have done the Society proud and look forward to seeing it thrive in the future.
It has been a blast!
Best wishes to you all,
Professor Peter O’Toole, RMS President