20 Aug 2025

Journal of Microscopy: Festschrift for Paul Walther

September 2025 special issue honours career of leading electron microscopist

The Journal of Microscopy is pleased to announce the publication of a special issue, honouring the career of Professor Paul Walther.

Paul Walther's contributions to the field of electron microscopy have been immense. From eukaryotic cell cultures and giant trees to yeast and Xenopus oocytes, from freeze substitution and freeze fracturing to high-resolution cryo-field emission scanning electron microscopy (cryo-FE-SEM), focused ion beam-SEM (FIB-SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography – there is almost no sample type or electron microscopy technique that he has not worked with.

In March 2024, after 46 years of passion for the nanometre scale, he retired from Ulm University, Germany, where he led the Central Facility for Electron Microscopy. The Journal is hosting this Festschrift in honour of Paul Walther and to celebrate his career and legacy by recognising his contributions to the field of electron microscopy. The special issue was edited by Clarissa Read, Ulm University, Germany, and Ulla Neumann, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany.

The issue features the following papers: