Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2021 - incorporating the RMS AGM & Section AGMs

Marisa Martin-Fernandez

Marisa is a microscopist with a passion for the life sciences, and in particular the biology of signalling receptors and their role in cancer. In 2003 during her career as PI, Marisa developed super-resolution imaging tools with sufficient spatial and time resolution to probe the structure-function relationships of signalling receptor complexes in the cell. Marisa also pioneered efforts to democratise the exploitation of the most sophisticated microscopy techniques for non-experts, and has been a lifelong advocate for this. Career highlights to date are:

Before establishing her independent lab, Marisa worked with synchrotron radiation. Identifying an opportunity to bypass the shortcomings of then unreliable pulsed, tuneable dye lasers, Marisa pioneered a plethora of time-resolved optical microscopy techniques that exploited the stability and tuneability of UV-visible pulsed synchrotron light. 
From 2003, she investigated the structure of active and inactive Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) complexes and the conformational changes that underpin signal transduction, Marisa pioneered a body of single molecule imaging methods with unprecedented resolution (<5 nm) to describe structure-function relationships of EGFR complexes in the cell. 

In 2017, Marisa recognised the potential of Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM), particularly the combination of sub-diffraction limit “super-resolution” microscopy methods with electron microscopy. She focussed on the development of super-resolution microscopy in cryogenically fixed samples, resulting in the demonstration of cryogenic Single Molecule Localisation Microscopy (SMLM), using solid immersion lenses. This method has a resolution of 12 nm, the best yet achieved in cryo-fixed cells without using highly complex sample stages and optics.

While pursuing her research goals, she has been dedicated to delivering the methods she develops to the wider research community. Starting in 2010 Marisa established the Octopus Imaging Cluster. This facility groups together numerous state-of-the-art, and sometimes unique, technology developments, and is currently exploited by more than 70 groups.

Wei Min

Dr. Wei Min graduated from Peking University in 2003. He then received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2008 with Professor Sunney Xie. After continuing a postdoctoral in the Xie group, Dr. Min joined the faculty of Chemistry Department at Columbia University in 2010, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2017. He is also affiliated with Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, and NeuroTechnology Center at Columbia.

Optical microscopy has revolutionized modern science and technology, with two landmark innovations (green fluorescent proteins and super-resolution microscopy) being recognized with recent Nobel Prizes. However, the prevalent optical imaging modalities, such as fluorescence, infrared absorption and spontaneous Raman scattering, all have inherent limitations. 

Going beyond these established methods, Dr. Min has made pioneering contributions to the invention and development of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, and employed it to open up a broad range of biomedical applications. 

•    On the instrumentation side, he has devised advanced SRS microscopy [Science 2008] and pushed its sensitivity down to single molecule level [Nature Photonics 2019]. SRS microscope was commercialized by Leica.
•    On the imaging probe side, he has designed and synthesized novel Raman-active probes exhibiting rainbow-like spectral “colors” [Nature Methods 2014; Nature 2017]. 
•    On the application side, he has opened up a wide range of novel applications including bioorthogonal chemical imaging of small biomolecules (such as lipids, amino acids, glucose, and drugs) [Nature Methods 2014], metabolic activity imaging in animals [Nature Biomedical Engineering 2019], and super-multiplexed vibrational imaging [Nature 2017].  

The technique is being adopted by mainstream life scientists, as summarized in his comprehensive review “Biological imaging of chemical bonds by SRS microscopy” [Nature Methods 2019]. He is co-editing a 40-chapter book entitled “Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy: Techniques and Applications” with ELSEVIER. Dr. Min’s work is launching a revolution towards next-generation optical imaging. 

Peter Nellist

Professor Nellist is a materials scientist who has pioneered new techniques for atomic-resolution microscopy.

Viewing the arrangement of atoms in materials, and in particular at defects in crystals, is a key tool for explaining the properties of materials enabling the development of new materials.

Professor Nellist’s work has focused on scanning transmission electron microscopy and its application across a range of functional and structural materials. He is known for the practical implementation of electron ptychography which allows light elements to be detected while reducing beam-induced damage, and to the theory underlying quantitative image interpretation.

He has made fundamental contributions to the development of correctors for the inherent aberrations of electron lenses and their use for the three-dimensional imaging of materials. Professor Nellist is a Fellow and former President of the Royal Microscopical Society, a former board member of the European Microscopy Society and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

He has been awarded the Burton Medal of the Microscopy Society of America and the Ernst Ruska Prize of the German Electron Microscopy Society. He also develops activities aiming to widen participation in science and promoting progression from schools to higher education.

George Smith

Professor George Smith is an internationally-recognised pioneer in atom probe field-ion microscopy. His contributions to the fields of Microscopy, Metallurgy, and Materials Science have extended over 50 years, leading to paradigm-shifting developments in both our scientific understanding of materials and in microstructural characterisation at the atomic scale.

A Fellow of the Royal Society and numerous other UK and international scientific societies, Professor Smith is also the recipient of numerous prestigious international scientific and engineering awards.

George’s early research using field-ion microscopy provided fundamental understanding of atomic-scale structures, as well as the correlation of nano-scale microstructure with the behaviour of materials - both in terms of transformation behaviour and precipitation phenomena in metallic materials.  His extensive knowledge, expertise and his leadership in metallurgy/materials science and atom probe microanalysis resulted in the formation of prolific and extensive research programs studying phase transformations in alloys, segregation phenomena, irradiation damage, oxidation, semiconductors, metal matrix composites, and nanostructured materials.

Under Professor Smith’s guidance and direction, the Oxford Group made major advances in atom probe analysis – both in the technique and in data quantification/analysis – which impacted the assessment of complex microstructures.

Emma Lundberg

Emma is Professor in cell biology proteomics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and Director of the Cell Atlas, part of the Human Protein Atlas program. She spent two and half sabbatical years as visiting Associate Professor at Stanford School of Medicine and the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub.

In the interface between bioimaging, proteomics and artificial intelligence her research aims to define the spatiotemporal organization of the human proteome at a subcellular level, with the goal to understand how variations and deviations in protein expression patterns can contribute to cellular function and disease. She also has an interest in the use of gaming for science and health applications.