Issuu

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

IMC21: Picture Special Science in Your Mother Tongue: Why I Volunteer with Native Scientists The Hudson Transparencies: magical work of past RMS President revisited in modern exhibition Microbial masquerade: The rise of the synthetic specimen

Plus...News, Calendar, Reviews, Reports 1

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

JEM-120i

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ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

contents features 4 30 38

IMC21: Picture Special IMC21: “The Next Generation – Embracing the Responsible AI Revolution” – Your views Introduction by Kirti Prakash & Ian van der Linde Science in Your Mother Tongue: Why I Volunteer with Native Scientists Virginia Silio

The Hudson Transparencies: magical work of past RMS President revisited in modern exhibition Owen Morton

Microbial masquerade: The rise of the synthetic specimen Brian Ford, Hon FRMS

Imaging in Biomedical Research – Obtaining Patient and Public Perspectives Steve Thomas & Natalie Poulter

regulars 34 42 62 68 94 98

Calendar Journal of Microscopy New Member Welcome Office News Company News New Products

reports and other features 36

Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 – watch online for FREE!

Early Career Researcher Prize-winner for Excellence in Imaging at the SBI2 European Meeting: Gantugs Atarsaikhan

Imaging Cell Dynamics Conference – report by Alan Wainman

In Memoriam: Kevin Christopher McNamee 1

MAGAZ I N E

infocus is the Magazine of the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) – the only truly international microscopical society. The RMS is dedicated to advancing science, developing careers and supporting wider understanding of science and microscopy. infocus Magazine 37/38 St Clements Oxford, OX4 1AJ, UK Tel. +44 (0)1865 254760 Email: infocus@rms.org.uk Website: www.infocus.org.uk Scientific Editor Leandro Lemgruber, University of Glasgow, UK Editor Owen Morton Tel. +44 (0)1865 254763, Email: editor@infocus.org.uk Editorial Board Myfanwy Adams, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK Maadhav Kothari, Zeiss Microscopy, UK Hilary Sandig, Cancer Research, UK Trevor Almeida, University of Glasgow, UK Tim Young, University of Cambridge Ferran Valderrama, City St George’s, University of London Thomas Slater, Cardiff University Advertising Email: advertising@infocus.org.uk ISSN: 1750-4740 © 2026 Royal Microscopical Society infocus is published four times per year by the RMS. Designed and produced by Creative Design. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from the RMS is forbidden. Views expressed in the Magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the RMS.

RoyalMicroscopicalSociety @RoyalMicroSoc @RoyalMicroSoc

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

FROM THE SCIENTIFIC EDITOR Dear Readers, Welcome to our third issue of infocus Magazine for 2026! I write this introduction having just returned from the 21st International Microscopy Congress (IMC21) in Liverpool, UK. What an absolutely brilliant event this proved to be for the global microscopy community - from the groundbreaking research and latest technology on display, to the workshops, social events and networking opportunities. It really was a pleasure to be there, and meet so many researchers, manufacturers and enthusiasts from around the world. I hope you enjoy our report and pictures from the event in this issue! The subject of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on microscopy was an overarching theme of IMC21, and infocus was on hand to ask attendees for their thoughts on how AI is already transforming research, and what the future might hold.The result of those conversations is presented here in a special article, with an introduction by Kirti Prakash and Ian van der Linde. Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this piece, and to everyone who took the time to chat with us at IMC21. On the same subject in this issue, RMS Honorary Fellow Brian Ford casts a critical eye over the rise in AI-generated representations of microorganisms as online teaching resources. His impassioned defence of microscopy as “the disciplined observation of the real” is both timely and thought-provoking. Elsewhere, we hear from Natalie Poulter and Steve Thomas about a patient / public engagement event to inform approaches to imaging in biomedical research at the University of Birmingham. Their article is not only useful reading for anyone interested in carrying out similar activities, but also illustrates the huge importance of scientists building trust with the general public. In a similar vein, Virginia Silio shares her experience volunteering for the ‘Native Scientists’ initiative – a ground-breaking outreach project bringing the wonder of science to the children of first-generation immigrants in their first language. It’s a great example of how role models “who look and sound like you” can make a difference. And finally, for the history buffs among you, infocus examines how the work of a Victorian-era RMS President was recently brought to life at a London gallery. The ‘Hudson Transparencies’ really are visual treat. As always, I hope you enjoy reading these latest offerings, as well as all our other content in this issue. Slàinte!

Leandro Lemgruber

COVER IMAGE: Na+/K+ ATPase (488) and DAPI By Saurabh Chand Sagar, Banaras Hindu University, India.This image shows the projection image of the Drosophila Malpighian tubule (main segment) 3rd instar larvae (118-120 h old) stained with Na+/K+ ATPase (green) and nuclei stained with DAPI (blue). The image was acquired using a 40× objective at 0.5 zoom captured using Zeiss LSM 900 Confocal microscope.

Phew – what a week! IMC21: Picture Special

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

s the dust settles on the 21st International Microscopy Conference (IMC21), we take a look at some of the action from a memorable few days in Liverpool, UK (31 August – 4 September).

A total of 3,020 delegates, visitors and exhibition representatives from almost 50 different countries took part in this superb event for the global microscopy community. The Congress featured a world-class conference programme with 32 symposia stretching over four full days. Meanwhile, around 120 exhibitors – including many of the world’s biggest names in microscopy and imaging – brought their latest products and technology to the exhibition hall. With preconference workshops, a Young Scientist Assembly and a host of social events also featuring, the ‘Olympics of Microscopy’ certainly lived up to its billing. The RMS was honoured to deliver this year’s Congress alongside the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy (IFSM), Liverpool University and all our other partners. The Society would like to put on record its thanks to all the delegates, visitors, volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors and everyone else who helped make IMC21 such a success.

Young Scientist Assembly (YSA / ECR)

Before the main conference and exhibition got

the quality of their IMC21 abstract submissions - to

started at IMC21, we welcomed 50 successful

take part in the The Young Scientist Assembly (YSE

applicants - recognised for their achievements and

/ ECR).

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After a fun day out in Liverpool on Saturday (30 August) and an evening meal at the Victoria Gallery and Museum, a full-day meeting took place on the Sunday at the University of Liverpool, with roundtable discussions, Q&A sessions and plenty of networking time. Micrographs entered into a specially organised image competition were also on display throughout the day. The winning image, titled: ‘Wormholes: Journey to the centre of the tooth’, was submitted by Maria Clara Muller de Andrade (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil) - pictured top right. 7

Pre-Congress workshops

Alongside the YSA on the Sunday, delegates took

There was plenty of time for some lively discussions

part in a wide range of pre-congress workshops at

on some of the hottest topics in microscopy – as

the University of Liverpool, covering the full range

well as some hands-on activities. The sessions also

of microscopical techniques and applications across

provided an early opportunity for delegates to

the sciences.

make new connections with their fellow attendees.

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Welcome Reception To round off proceedings on the Sunday, we

It was a fabulous atmosphere and a wonderful way

welcomed delegates to the Liverpool Experience

to lift the curtain on what would prove to be a

Campus (LEX) for our IMC21 Welcome Reception

fantastic week in Liverpool. Attendees even posed

– featuring some great food, drinks and live music

for a giant group photo!

from a jazz band.

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Conference The IMC21 conference provided delegates with a huge range of content delivered in 32 sessions across three main themes: Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Instrumentation. The superb auditorium at the LEX was packed out each morning for our four Plenary speakers – Shirley Meng (University of Chicago, USA), Joanne Etheridge (Monash University, Australia), Peter Rosenthal (Francis Crick Institute, UK) and Sergei Kalinin (University of Tennessee, USA), and provided the perfect setting for the IFSM Symposium and Awards on the Friday morning (4 September). Elsewhere, the conference rooms were buzzing throughout the Congress, with hundreds of speakers presenting their work over the course of the week. We would like to thank all our presenters for bringing their research to IMC21.

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“I appreciated all the positive feedback and really enjoyed meeting and connecting with everyone who showed up early before the conference for a run.” Running club at IMC21 For those keen to keep their fitness levels topped

The initiative provided a great opportunity to meet

up, IMC21 boasted its very own running club –

new people in an informal setting, get some fresh air,

courtesy of locally-based delegate and keen runner,

and shake off any pre-presentation nerves.

Richard Jinschek.

Richard, who is a PhD researcher at the University

Delegates of all abilities signed up online and met

of Liverpool, said: “I appreciated all the positive

for an early morning, 5km run throughout the week,

feedback and really enjoyed meeting and connecting

taking in the sights and sounds of Liverpool away

with everyone who showed up early before the

from the conference centre.

conference for a run.”

Exhibition Throughout IMC21, delegates and visitors were

breaks and lunch periods. It was also the location

treated to a fantastic array of the latest products

for the afternoon poster sessions, which were

and technology in microscopy, courtesy of around

extremely well attended throughout the Congress.

120 exhibitors who filled the enormous exhibition hall.

We would like to thank all the companies and partner organisations who took part in the IMC21

The exhibition hall was very much the central hub of

exhibition and helped make the Congress such a

IMC21 – especially during the regular refreshment

success.

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Poster Sessions

IMC21 featured more than 800 scientific posters,

perfect opportunity for sharing ideas and making

presented across four afternoon poster sessions.

new connections in a relaxed atmosphere. Huge

With thousands of conversations taking place

thanks to all our poster presenters for bringing

throughout the week, these sessions provided the

your work to IMC21.

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Gala Dinner Wednesday’s Gala Dinner was a spectacular affair,

of Liverpool’s Centre for Electron Microscopy

as more than 750 attendees returned to the

bearing his name, is renowned as the inventor of

conference centre for an evening of food, drinks

the scanning transmission electron microscope

and entertainment.

(STEM).

The atmosphere was buzzing across a sea of tables

After three courses of dinner and a glass of wine or

as the IMC21 Scientific organisers took to the

two, delegates took to the dance floor in customary

stage to welcome all the guests. As part of their

fashion, assisted by a troupe of local dancers.

introduction, they presented a signed, framed photograph of the late Albert Crewe to members of his family attending the dinner as special guests. Crewe, whose legacy is honoured by the University

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It was certainly a memorable evening and a fitting way for the global microscopy community to celebrate together.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

IFSM Symposium The final act of IMC21 was the International

The event also included a poignant talk from

Federation of Societies for Microscopy (IFSM)

Max Haider and Ute Kaiser in remembrance of

Symposium and Awards ceremony, which took

Professor Harald Rose, who passed away earlier

place on Friday morning (4 September).

this year. Harald was a world-renowned physicist

The symposium featured talks from each of the IFSM award-winners, who were also presented with their awards at the end of the meeting.

correction fundamentally transformed electron microscopy, opening up new avenues for research across different scientific fields. It was a fitting

Congratulations to:

tribute to a true giant in his field.

• Jennifer Zenker - Eduard Kellenberger Medal

As IMC21 was officially brought to a close, delegates

2023 (awarded for scientific excellence) • Lukáš Palatinus - John Cowley Medal

were offered a glimpse of the next instalment of this fantastic Congress series, with an introduction to

2025 (for pioneering contributions to electron

IMC22 due to take place in Berlin in 2031 – marking

diffraction and crystallographic analysis using

100 years of electron microscopy!

electron microscopy)

We can’t wait!

• Niklas Dellby - Vernon Cosslett Medal 2025 (for ground-breaking innovations in aberrationcorrected electron optics and advanced electron microscope instrumentation) • Jose Maria Carazo - Eduard Kellenberger Medal 2025 (for outstanding contributions to structural biology and cryo-electron microscopy image analysis)

and RMS Hon Fellow, whose work on aberration-

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

…Huge thanks to everyone who helped make IMC21 so special – including our generous sponsors:

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

From Millimetre to Nanometre Scale within one multimodal workflow

• Magnetic Imaging • 3D Structure • Surface Morphology & Properties • Chemical & Optical Nanoscopy • Elemental Composition • Crystallography & Diffraction

semiconductor devices

batteries

quantum materials

nano-structures

thin films

failure analysis

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(01372) 378822 | info@qd-uki.co.uk

magnetic materials

advanced materials r&d

IMC21: “The Next Generation – Embracing the Responsible AI Revolution” – Your views Introduction by Kirti Prakash and Ian van der Linde, School of Computing and Information Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK AI at the microscope: seeing faster, but seeing true? AI has entered the microscopy room. It can steer instruments, sharpen acquisition, segment cells and writes code for data analysis before a researcher has finished their coffee (Krull et al 2020; Stringer et al 2021; Hohlbein 2026). The attraction is obvious: less time tracing boundaries, more time asking biological questions, at least until AI begins formulating the questions too, encroaching on the creative core of research. At IMC21, excitement about faster science was accompanied by a sharper concern: when does assistance become invention? “AI is here to stay, for good or bad,” says Leandro Lemgruber of the University of Glasgow. The question is no longer whether scientists will use it, but how and with what safeguards. Theo Andrews of University College Dublin offers a useful reality check: AI is “another tool in our toolbox rather than a magic fix-all.” For microscopists, its most immediate value lies in removing drudgery. Melanie Rug, President of the Australian Microscopy and Microscience Society, points to volume imaging, where AI can save “hundreds of hours” by targeting and separating regions of interest. Shrija Ghosh of IIT Kanpur sees the same potential in particle-size analysis: why spend days clicking on individual particles when a reliable model can do it in minutes? Mohammed Ilhami from Rouen is unequivocal: “We can definitely use AI to accelerate the way we do microscopy.” Speed, however, is only the first revolution. The deeper promise is to change what scientists spend their time doing. Sarah Farrow of Bitesize Bio describes the appeal of an autonomous laboratory

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

in which machines absorb routine operations and researchers return to ideas: “The idea of PhD students and experienced scientists being able to focus their energy on thinking full time is very exciting.” Yet there is a paradox: what looks like drudgery may be where discovery begins. Careful manual examination of images can expose confounds; reveal unexpected patterns and spark questions we had not thought to ask an automated agent. Such immersion also teaches PhD students patience, resilience and how to learn from failure. Not every repetitive task deserves preservation, but automating all of them risks weakening the link between observation and curiosity. The deeper risk is that tools designed to free scientists to think may increasingly do the thinking for them, while preserving the feeling that the ideas are their own. Sarah Farrow worries that outsourcing even routine writing could weaken critical reasoning and erode the foundations on which scientific judgement is built. Callum Perrett of the University of Birmingham captures the challenge in one line, hoping that: “We don’t automate the humanity out of research.” Nowhere is the boundary between assistance and authorship more consequential than in scientific imaging. In writing, AI may distort an argument; in microscopy, it may alter what appears to be the evidence itself. Hannah Dickinson of Utrecht University welcomes faster analysis “without manipulating data,” but warns that synthetic images can look disturbingly real. Her reminder is simple: “It’s important to remember that you are the one

with the microscope.” Anjuli Bali of the University of Oxford is similarly excited by AI-guided, realtime improvements in electron-microscopy acquisition, yet fears that hallucinations “might end up polluting my data.” For Shrija Ghosh, privacy and authenticity are equally fundamental. Artefacts and misclassification are longstanding risks in image processing; the question is whether AI makes these errors more frequent or harder to detect, further undermining trust in the scientific record. Alastair Gemmell of the University of Strathclyde sees promise in analytical AI but warns that generative outputs can lack the “refined detail expected of scientists” and raise questions about training data and consent. The wider challenge extends to both: research-quality standards exist, but their adoption remains uneven across researchers and journals. Consistent safeguards are needed, for dealing with a range of issues including preventing leakage between training and test data to choosing performance metrics that fairly account for imbalanced data.

beyond, this requires consistent adherence to shared quality standards: transparent methods, rigorous validation and fair reporting of both performance and limitations.

Kirti Prakash.

Ian van der Linde.

References: 1.

Krull, A., Hirsch, P., Rother, C. et al. Artificialintelligence-driven scanning probe microscopy. Commun Phys 3, 54 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/ s42005-020-0317-3

Stringer, C., Wang, T., Michaelos, M. et al. Cellpose: a generalist algorithm for cellular segmentation. Nat Methods 18, 100–106 (2021). https://doi.

The mood at IMC21 was therefore neither anti-AI nor blindly enthusiastic.The challenge is to automate the repetitive, accelerate the difficult and reveal patterns the human eye may miss, while preserving provenance, judgement and doubt. In microscopy and

Theo Andrews – Phd Student, University

Hannah Dickinson, Post-doctoral

College Dublin

researcher, Utrecht University

“My work is quite hardware-based so in terms of seeing AI as a potential threat, it’s probably less severe than in other areas, but even the work I’m doing includes automation so it somewhat depends on what is included in the definition of AI. I’m not really a fan of AI but I try not to be black and white about it, since I have seen some interesting presentations using it for protein structure prediction and things like that.The thing to remember, and I think most of the scientific community is not doing a bad job of this, is that AI is another tool in our

“I don’t know who said it but there is a quote around AI and it goes something like: “I don’t want it to do my art for me; I want it to do the boring tasks”. Especially in relation to science, if it can speed up analysis w i t h o u t manipulating data then I’m all for it. I recently took part in a group exercise where a colleague sent us some images and we had to guess which ones were AI. It underlined how generative AI can look very close to fact, and how it’s important that the metadata reflects that you were the one behind the

tool box rather than a magic fix-all.”

microscope.”

org/10.1038/s41592-020-01018-x Hohlbein J., webSMLM - a browser-based singlemolecule localization microscopy tool. (2026). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21445041

Mohammed Ilhami, PhD student, Groupe

Shrija Ghosh, PhD student, Indian

de Physique des Matériaux, Rouen

Institute of Technology, Kanpur

“AI can help us to

“When

do regular things to

publishing black and

save

for

white SEM images

instance, helping to

we can use AI to

automate the way

colourise

the

micrographs,

time

microscope

functions

are

the

integrating

the

processing the data.

image

I think, years ago,

part. We also need

processing

some of these tasks took one or two days, so we can

to do a lot of

definitely use AI to accelerate the way we do

particle size analysis, so if AI can help with any kind of

microscopy. But I think that AI will never interpret

image processing we are doing manually, selecting

the results like a human can, because we have a clear

each particle, that is a really good time saving thing. In

critique on what we see – rather than a binary ‘ones

terms of my concerns over AI, the first thing would

and zeros’ approach.”

be privacy - you never know if your information could be leaked to some other sources. The second

Melanie Rug, Australian Microscopy and Microscience Society President is

search for images, if I’m not the subject matter expert and I come across an AI-generated image, I

“AI will revolutionise (or

thing is authenticity, because a lot of times when we

won’t necessarily know if what I’m looking at is real.”

already)

volume imaging in all areas of microscopy

Sarah Farrow – Bitesize Bio

including light and

“I’m

electron

and

excited

correlative

EM,

freeing

man-

saving hundreds of

hours

that

were

hours of manually

historically spent on

targeting and separating regions of interest with

low-impact,

machine learning algorithms.

repetitive tasks that

AI is also changing the way we approach teaching, developing new ways of assessing student knowledge etc. Powerful – but also important to watch out for misuse.”

can

particularly about

now

automated.

recently toured an “autonomous lab” and the idea of PhD students and experienced scientists being able to focus their energy on thinking full time is very exciting.What does worry me is whether some of us are losing the ability to think – outsourcing writing basic emails to ChatGPT risks us losing the ability to write them for ourselves or apply critical reasoning. I also worry about what it means for training positions, as entry-level roles are inevitably the first to be cut.”

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Alastair Gemmell, PhD student,

which is creativity. It will be important over the next

Strathclyde University

decade to ensure we don’t automate the humanity “AI (non-generative)

out of research.”

as a tool for analysis, in

pipeline, is

r e v o l u t i o n a r y. However, it is firmly a

tool.

Anjuli Bali, PhD Student, University of Oxford

will

ultimately

make

research

“I’m

both

apprehensive

and

excited about the use of AI in every

efficient, allowing for

stage of research.

more complex algorithms to take over monotonous

I’m glad that it might

tasks that take an extremely long time for humans to

save my time in the

do independently.

data

collection

However, generative AI is an exceptionally poor

phase with live, real-

recreator of human work. AI-generated work –

time imaging improvements in TEM acquisition.

be it art, diagrams, posters etc – are both easily

Depending on how this is achieved, though, I’m a bit

identifiable as AI and lack the refined detail expected

worried about the classic AI hallucination that might

of scientists. In addition, databases are trained from

end up polluting my data.

artwork or written work from authors and artists who did not consent to their work being used – which is bad.”

I’m also excited that I might not have to sit for hours in front of a FIB to prepare my sample. But the most worrisome part for me is the data post-processing. I enjoy this process and still believe human creativity

Callum Perrett, PhD student, University

is valuable at this stage. Fingers crossed that AI

of Birmingham

becomes a valuable friend and not a foe in research!” “AI

now

inevitability, and is something in science that you have to learn and integrate into your work, or you

will

left

behind.

Used

responsibly

and

appropriately, AI is possibly the most powerful tool we have right now, with essentially limitless applications. My research involves MRI and confocal microscopy, and AI makes my day-to-day much easier, with tasks such as counting neurites being made virtually entirely automated. Fundamentally, I think AI will

Leandro Lemgruber, infocus Scientific Editor; Head of Cellular Analysis Facility, University of Glasgow “AI is here to stay, for good or bad. We now have to teach students on how to use this tool and, importantly, how to critically

analyse

what you get when you use it. We also need better depositories that can be used as ‘ground truth’, since you can find anything online.”

never replace the most important skill in science,

Calendar We are very pleased to continue offering a range of ‘in-person’ and virtual events, in order to maximise accessibility and provide opportunities to those who might not otherwise be able to attend. The following information was correct at the time infocus went to print but could potentially be subject to change in the coming weeks. Please visit our event calendar at www.rms.org.uk for the latest updates. If you have any questions about a booking you have already made for an event, or need any help or advice, please contact us at info@rms.org.uk

2026

24 – 25 In Situ Workshop 2026, Harwell, Didcot, UK

September

24 – 27 32nd Annual New Zealand Microscopy Conference (RMS sponsored event), Wellington, New Zealand

Laboratory-based X-ray Phase Contras Imaging Workshop 2026, London, UK

Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 - incorporating the RMS AGM & Section AGMs, London, UK (and online)

October 7

FIB&Prep Meeting 2026, Loughborough, UK (and online)

BioImagingUK 2026 Meeting (RMS attending), London, UK

November

December

3 – 4 Virtual European Flow Core Meeting 2026, Online

2027 January

21 – 22 EM-UKI 2027, Leeds, UK

March

3–4

Facility Management Training Course 2026,York, UK

21 – 25 Botanicals Meeting 2027, Cologne, Germany

flowcytometryUK 2026, Cambridge, UK

22 – 24 MSM2027, Cambridge, UK

Frontiers in BioImaging 2026, Manchester, UK

For further information on all these events, please visit our Event Calendar at www.rms.org.uk

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Featured RMS events Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 - incorporating the RMS AGM & Section AGMs 30 September, Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK (and online) The global microscopy community is invited to join the Royal Microscopy Society (RMS) online for Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 – a free-to-attend meeting incorporating the Society’s Annual General Meetings.

of microscopy, imaging and flow cytometry across the sciences. The meeting is being live-streamed from the Royal Society of Chemistry in London on 30 September – and while ‘in-person’ bookings are now closed, registration for online attendance will be remain open until the day of the meeting! Online attendance is completely FREE, and virtual attendees will still be able to register, up until (and including) the day of the event.

The event will feature a range of superb talks from recent RMS Award-winners, including some of the world’s leading researchers in their fields. It will also include contributions from each of the Society’s Science Sections covering all branches

Book now: https://www.rms.org.uk/rms-eventcalendar/2026-events/microscopy-advancesinnovation-impact-2026.html

flowcytometryUK 2026

a number of speakers covering immunology, marine biology, extracellular vesicles and other important research areas. Talks will be interspersed with commercial flash presentations. Sponsors will allow delegates to have access to information on recent developments in the field.

12 November, Cambridge, UK The flowcytometryUK 2026 Meeting will take place in person and will highlight the diverse areas in which cytometry is a vital resource. There will be scientific presentations from Frontiers in BioImaging 2026 16 November, Manchester, UK Frontiers in BioImaging 2026 will focus on correlative microscopy, leveraging the strengths of traditionally distinct imaging techniques to address questions that no single approach can answer alone. Sessions will span technical developments in light and electron microscopy, advances in image analysis and data interpretation, and

Read more on p36

biological applications across scales. We are creating a meeting where earlycareer researchers can learn, connect, and grow. By combining accessible scientific talks with dedicated networking opportunities and interactions with leading research groups, the event will provide a platform for early-career and established researchers to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and strengthen connections across disciplines.

R E P O RT

Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 – watch online for FREE! Wednesday, 30 September, 2026, London The global microscopy community is invited to join the Royal Microscopy Society (RMS) online for Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 – a free-to-attend

meeting

incorporating

the Society’s Annual General Meetings. The event will feature a range of superb talks from recent RMS Award-winners, including some of the world’s leading researchers in their fields.

It will also include contributions from each of the Society’s Science Sections covering all branches of microscopy, imaging and flow cytometry across the sciences. The meeting is being live-streamed from the Royal Society of Chemistry in London on 30 September – and while ‘in-person’ bookings are now closed, registration for online attendance will remain open until the day of the meeting!

A view of the impressive courtyard at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Burlington House in London.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Former RMS Early Career Award-winner Akaash Kumar is pictured delivering his talk at Microscopy: Advances, Innovation, Impact 2024.

It means wherever you are in the world, you

Pantazis (Imperial College London) and Professor

are welcome to log-on and find out more about

Steven Lee (University of Cambridge).

the current and future activities at the RMS, and celebrate the contributions of some of the most ground-breaking scientists from across the microscopy community.

A further highlight will be the final of the RMS Early Career Award Competition, in which three shortlisted

presenters

will

deliver

quick-fire

presentations, with the winner to be announced

Among the speakers will be winners of the RMS

on the day. Our 2024 winner, Dr Akaash Kumar,

Section Awards, including:

is pictured here, delivering his talk at Microscopy:

• Professor Ilaria Testa, KTH Royal Institute of

A range of other RMS Awards will be presented

Technology Sweden (Light Microscopy Award) • Professor Emilie Ringe, University of Cambridge (Engineering, Physical & Material Sciences Award) • Dr Francisco de la Pena, University College London (Data Analysis in Imaging Award) • Professor

Kang-Nee

Ting

(University

Advances, Innovation, Impact 2024.

during the meeting, and we will also be hearing from RMS Patron, Baroness Julia Brown of Cambridge CBE, FRS. Online attendance is completely FREE, and virtual attendees will still be able to register, up until (and

Nottingham, Malaysia) Chris Hawes Award for Outreach and Education We will also be hearing from winners of the RMS

including) the day of the event. Book now: https://www.rms.org.uk/rms-eventcalendar/2026-events/microscopy-advancesinnovation-impact-2026.html

Scientific Achievement Award, Dr Periklis (Laki)

Science in Your Mother Tongue: Why I Volunteer with Native Scientists Virginia Silio

Virginia Silio.

Demonstrating fluorescence, using turmeric and alcohol under blue/ UV light.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

The table-top set-up for one of my sessions.

Back in 2024 I saw a call on LinkedIn for scientists

that was the category of job that felt available to me.

whose mother tongue was Spanish to go into

I also wanted to be a dancer at one point, but that

a school and talk to some students. I signed up

didn’t sound realistic either. And now I’m also the

straight away, without thinking too much about it. It

mother of a first-generation immigrant child, who I

was only later, reading more about the project, that

hope will grow up bilingual.

something clicked: the idea is built around speaking to children of first-generation immigrants in their own language, and that really resonated with me.

Why outreach matters to me

There’s data showing that students from the same

I’ve always loved outreach, separately from any of

socioeconomic background go on to study STEM at

this. Scientists have drifted apart from the public over

very different rates depending on whether they’re

the years, and I think we have a real responsibility to

first or second-generation immigrants, compared

close that gap, to talk about what we do in language

with their peers (Schiefer et al., 2024). One of the

people will actually understand, rather than hiding

reasons is simple: they lack role models within their

behind jargon. If we don’t make that effort, someone

own community. There is nobody who sounds like

else fills the gap instead. At best that’s a journalist

them, or grew up the way they did, doing the kind of

getting the nuance wrong. At worst, increasingly, it’s

job that says “this is possible for you too.”

an AI chatbot with no particular stake in getting it

That hit home for me. I’m the first person in my

right.

family with a degree and a PhD. I’m the daughter

I did outreach during my postdoc, hosting donor

of a policeman and a waitress who later became a

visits from Cancer Research UK in the lab, talking

secretary when I was an adult. I grew up with no

through the science behind the work to people

scientist role models, none at home, none in the

who’d funded it but had no scientific background

family, none in the neighbourhood. I just didn’t know

themselves. In my current role at the Centre for

anyone who did this for a living. I remember saying I

Cell & Molecular Dynamics at UCL, we regularly

wanted to be a hairdresser ( if you know me, you’ll

host secondary school students in the imaging

understand how little sense that makes; I don’t even

facility, showing them the microscopes, walking

know how to do a plait!). I probably said it because

them through how we acquire images, etc. So when

brilliant. The children were aged seven to 12 - a wide enough range that I had to plan for two very different audiences in the same room. I started with a quiz about microscopes, just to get them talking.Then I moved into light decomposition, with a torch and a prism: a properly low-tech, highimpact experiment. After that came fluorescence, using turmeric and alcohol under blue/ UV light. This was, by a wide margin, their favourite part of the whole session. They could not stop playing with it. They made an enormous mess. I regret nothing. We finished with a set of microscopy images that they had to classify by animal, plant, or tumour. The session is structured like speed dating: roughly 20 minutes per group, five groups in total, each rotating through. In between rounds, the questions come thick and fast, and they go absolutely anywhere — telescopes, vaccines, cancer, how I ended up becoming a scientist, whether I have a pet, what my salary is, how to do an experiment ... Nothing is offLight decomposition, with a torch and a prism: a properly low-tech, high-impact experiment.

limits, and that’s part of the fun. I’d come prepared, though, as I have the best coach for this kind of

the Native Scientists call appeared, it wasn’t really a

thing: my daughter can ask you a hundred questions

new direction for me. It was outreach with an extra

a minute.

layer: outreach in Spanish, aimed specifically at kids who might not otherwise see anyone who looks or sounds like them doing this job.

generally don’t speak Spanish themselves. Mostly they just stand at the side, smiling, keeping a gentle

It’s worth saying that age range matters less for

eye on things, which leaves me free to focus entirely

the secondary school groups I see at UCL; they’ve

on the kids, something I’m genuinely grateful for,

already decided science is, at minimum, something

because trying to manage both the science and

that exists as a subject they study. The Native

classroom discipline at once would be a very

Scientists sessions are different. Seven-year-olds

different job. There is also a coordinator keeping an

haven’t decided anything yet. They’re still working

eye on the time, and helping if needed.

out what categories of grown-up job even exist,

What I find fascinating, session after session, is how

and whether ‘scientist’ is one of them. That’s a

differently the two ends of the age range behave.

much earlier, and arguably more important, point to

The seven-year-olds are curious, a bit mischievous,

intervene.

completely without filter in what they’ll ask you, and

My first session: chaos, mess, and a torch My first session, back in 2024, was chaotic but

The children are chaperoned by their teachers, who

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

playful. The twelve-year-olds are closer to (or fully into) puberty, so there’s a layer of wanting to appear like they already know everything. But underneath that, they’re just as curious as the younger ones.

Working with a group of children around the table.

At the end, every child gets a certificate. It’s a small

And honestly, it’s also just a good excuse to make

thing, but it’s a genuinely nice touch.

new friends. The other volunteers come from all

Getting better at it

kinds of scientific backgrounds, scattered across different institutions, and there’s a real camaraderie

I’ve done this every year since, in different schools,

in turning up to a school hall on a Friday morning

refining the session a little each time. It now includes

with a box of turmeric, a UV torch, and absolutely

an actual microscope and a set of slides: a toy one,

no idea how loud the room is about to get.

but surprisingly good quality for the price, bought on Vinted; the 40x lens is genuinely decent. At the most recent workshop, the kids were queuing up to look down the eyepiece. Genuinely queuing.

What it means, beyond the science Now, as the mother of a first-generation immigrant child, I see even more clearly why this matters.

For me outreach is about going back to the people we’re actually supposed to be working for: the ones we’re meant to help, or simply the people we share a world with and owe some kind of explanation to. Science doesn’t belong to scientists. The least we can do is show up, in a language people understand, and prove it.

There’s real value in hearing about science in your

Reference

own language, and in seeing role models who look

Schiefer, J., Caspari, J., Moscoso, J. A., Catarino,

and sound like you. That’s what I like so much

A. I., Miranda Afonso, P., Golle, J., & Rebuschat, P.

about the Native Scientists programme. It creates

(2024). Science and Heritage Language Integrated

inclusive, multilingual spaces that give children

Learning (SHLIL): Evidence of the effectiveness of

confidence, visibility, and a genuine sense that

an innovative science outreach program for migrant

science is something they can belong to, not just

students. Science Education, 108, 983–1014. https://

something they observe from a distance.

doi.org/10.1002/sce.21860

Journal of

Microscopy The Journal of Microscopy publishes top quality research articles, review articles and Hot Topic papers covering all aspects of microscopy and analysis. This includes cutting-edge technology and innovative applications in physics, chemistry, material and biological sciences.

You can read the latest Early View papers online at www.journalofmicroscopy.org They include: ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Enhanced biocompatibility of robotic microplasma sprayed Zr–2.5Nb coatings for orthopaedic implants Darya Alontseva, Yuliya Safarova (Yantsen), Sergii Voinarovych, Alexander Krasavin, Aleksei Obrosov, Bagdat Azamatov The surface bioactivity of orthopaedic implants plays a critical role in osseointegration and long-term clinical performance. In this study, zirconium–niobium (Zr– 2.5Nb) coatings were deposited onto gas-abrasively treated Ti6Al4V alloy substrates using robot-assisted microplasma spraying (MPS) to enhance implant bioactivity. The MPS parameters were selected to produce uniform coatings with controlled porosity (∼20%), rough surface, and satisfactory adhesion to the substrate. Surface topography and microstructure of coated specimens were characterised using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and compared with the uncoated Ti6Al4V alloy. Zr–2.5Nb coatings exhibited significantly increased surface roughness and a developed microrelief. In vitro angiogenesis assays using human umbilical vein endothelial cells demonstrated enhanced microvascular

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

network formation on Zr–2.5Nb–coated surfaces. Biocompatibility assessment with rat bone marrow– derived mesenchymal stromal cells revealed improved cell adhesion, spreading, and cytoskeletal organisation. These findings demonstrate that robot-assisted MPS of Zr–2.5Nb coatings on titanium implants with precise maintenance of selected spraying parameters can provide a biologically favourable surface that promotes angiogenic responses and represents a promising approach to enhancing the implant biocompatibility.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Open access

GloBIAS survey results – An insight into the global bioimage analysis community Laura R. de la Ballina, Christa G. Walther, Nicholas D. Condon, Alessandro A. Felder, Martin Schätz, Bettina Schmerl, Ko Sugawara, Clara Prats, Anna Klemm, Kota Miura, Paula Sampaio, Christian Tischer, Shuichi Onami, Rocco D’Antuono, Beth A Cimini, Robert Haase, Agustin A. Corbat, Florian Levet There is a global need for bioimage analysis (BIA) as advances in life sciences increasingly rely on cutting-edge imaging systems that have dramatically

expanded the complexity and dimensionality of biological images. Turning these data into scientific discoveries requires scientists with effective data management skills and knowledge of state-of-theart image processing and data analysis, in other words, bioimage analysts. The Global BioImage Analysts’ Society (GloBIAS) aims to enhance the profile of bioimage analysts as a key role in science and research.To better understand the needs and geographical representation of the BIA community, a worldwide survey was conducted, and 290 responses were collected across people from all career stages and continents. The survey underscores a strong interest of the BIA community in the activities proposed by GloBIAS to address shortcomings in work environment, funding, and scientific activities, and the enthusiasm of the community to actively contribute to the growth and sustainability of GloBIAS as a scientific society.

REVIEW ARTICLE

Convergence of cryo-electron microscopy and artificial intelligence in integrative structural biology: A critical review of advances, synergies, and implications for molecular biophysics and drug discovery Abinawanto, Alfi Sophian Structural biology has entered a period of rapid methodological change defined by the convergence of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven structure prediction. Prior reviews have generally addressed cryo-EM instrumentation or AI structure prediction individually, or their combination primarily from a structural biology or drug discovery perspective; a microscopy-

centred synthesis tracing this convergence from detector physics and image-processing workflows through validation standards to in situ cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), while situating AI tools specifically as inputs to and complements of the cryo-EM workflow, has been comparatively underexplored.This review provides such a synthesis, organised around: (i) the instrumentation, imageprocessing, and validation advances underlying cryo-EM’s resolution gains, including detector physics, contrast transfer function (CTF) estimation, Bayesian and deep-learning-based particle picking and reconstruction, and map-to-model validation and deposition; (ii) cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging (STA) for in situ structural biology, including deep generative approaches to heterogeneity analysis; and (iii) the AlphaFold2, AlphaFold3, and RoseTTAFold All-Atom systems, considered specifically in relation to how they interface with and depend upon cryo-EM data for model building, refinement, and validation. Building on this microscopy-centred account, we propose a three-tier classification framework for selecting between AI-primed, experiment-led, and in situ integrative pipelines, and we summarise performance, transparency, and accessibility differences between leading AI tools. We illustrate these methods with

examples from membrane proteins, ion channels, and viral glycoproteins, and briefly note implications for structure-based drug design and for structural biology capacity in resource-limited settings. Throughout, we distinguish between demonstrated capability, exceptional proof-of-principle results, and routine practice, and identify the experimental and computational limitations that constrain each approach.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Open access

Presynaptic actin nanostructures: A reproducibility case study Rensu P. Theart, Florian Levet, Paul Hernández-Herrera, Christophe Leterrier, Laura R. de la Ballina In an effort to assess the reproducibility of bioimage analyses in current publications, we took part in a Global BioImage Analysts’ Society (GloBIAS) initiative to try and reproduce results from published articles. We attempted to reproduce core findings from Bingham et al. (2023), who investigate the actin organisation in presynaptic structures by using diffraction-limited and super-resolution microscopy. While the original paper unveiled novel biological insight, it lacked sufficient detail in the bioimage analysis methodology, limiting the depth of reproducibility we could achieve. Through frequent contacts with the corresponding author, we were able to replicate qualitative aspects of the analysis of actin nanostructures in bead-induced presynapses. We performed image reconstruction from superresolution microscopy data, automatic image registration and visual inspection, followed by manual annotation of structures of interest in approximately 35 images. From this exercise, we provide concrete evidence that key practises such as sharing of example datasets, depositing manual annotations and documenting manual decision criteria and consensus procedures are essential for making bioimage analysis

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

workflows reproducible. Our experience further highlights that transparent data sharing, adherence to bioimage analysis standards, and close collaboration between experimentalist and bioimage analysis specialists are critical to ensure the reproducibility of today’s complex biological imaging studies.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Practical crystallography with a transmission electron microscope Benjamin L Weare, Kayleigh L Y Fung, Ian Cardillo-Zallo, William J Cull, Michael W Fay, Stephen P Argent, Paul D Brown Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3DED) is a powerful technique providing for crystal structure solutions of sub-micron sized crystals too small for structure determination via X-ray techniques. The entry requirement, however, of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) adapted with bespoke software for coordinated sample stage rotation and continuous electron diffraction data acquisition has generally inhibited the wider uptake of 3DED. To address this limitation, we present novel DigitalMicrograph script GiveMeED appropriate for controlled 3DED data acquisition. The collection of useable reflections beyond 0.8 Å makes 3DED crystallographic processing effectively routine, using standard software and workflows derived from singlecrystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) techniques. A full experimental workflow for 3DED on a conventional TEM is described in practical terms, in combination with direct imaging, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), for the return of comprehensive correlative descriptions of crystal morphologies and sample compositions, with due regard for the quantification of electron flux at each stage of the characterisation process. The accuracy and effectiveness of GiveMeED is demonstrated through structure solutions for case study paracetamol,

copper(II) phthalocyanine, and percholorocoronene samples, characterised in their near-native states under controlled low dose conditions at either room or cryogenic temperatures, with determined unit cell parameters and atomic connectivity matching accepted literature X-ray structures for these compounds. To promote the wider adoption of 3DED, we make GiveMeED freely available for use and modification, in support of greater uptake and utilisation of structure solution procedures via electron diffraction.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Open Access

UC2-ESP: A general-purpose framework for open-source microscopy control Benedict Diederich, Ingo Fuchs, Haoran Wang, Holger Bierhoff, Christian Kuttke, Rainer Heintzmann Building the optical setup for investigating biological questions comes with challenges. A major such challenge is setting up and synchronizing the control of multiple hardware components such as stages,

cameras and lasers. With UC2-ESP, we present a low-cost electronics system powered by the ESP32 microcontroller (∼$10), designed as an accessible, open-hardware alternative to commercial controllers for custom and opensource microscopy setups. Our system can interface with stepper motors, direct current motors, lasers (transistor-transistor logics, TTL or pulse width modulation, PWM), light-emitting diodes and analog voltage outputs (galvo mirrors and LED current control), allowing precise control over microscopy hardware. The platform is highly flexible, supporting custom pin configurations and multiple communication interfaces such as Bluetooth, universal serial bus (USB-serial) and HTTP via a builtin web server.A PlayStation controller can be used for haptic hardware manipulation, whereas commands are transmitted in a human-readable JSON format to ensure modularity and extensibility. The firmware is designed to receive parameters and execute actions dynamically, supporting complex control loops such as motor homing, stage scanning and temperature regulation via integrated controllers. Furthermore, the system integrates seamlessly with ImSwitch as well as Micro-Manager and offers a browser-based control tool using Web Serial. This open-source firmware enables microscopy research groups to develop custom setups and expand functionality efficiently, at low cost and high flexibility.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Supervised artificial intelligence classification of clinker processing conditions by optical microscopy 45

Daniela Gastaldi, Mirko Ippolito, Fulvio Canonico, Luca Contò, Enrico Boccaleri, Marco Dossena, Christopher Irwin, Stefano Nera, Luca Piovesan Optical microscopy is known to be a powerful technique for the characterization of industrial clinkers, allowing for obtaining valuable information on many aspects of the production process. The time required for the preparation of samples and collection, and interpretation of pictures strongly limits its application on a large scale. Notably, the analysis of samples requires skilled operators and is

often influenced by a significant degree of subjectivity. Consequently, the automation of this task is of great interest to the field. For this reason, in this study, we explore the possibility of adopting supervised artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies on clinker micrographs. This study aims to assess whether an AI model can be employed to support human operators in the interpretation of experimental results. Specifically, this paper focuses on the model’s ability to autonomously determine the parameters of the experiment.The results demonstrate a promising capability of AI models to perform this task.

Submit to the Journal of Microscopy 1.

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Average time from submission to first decision is less than 50 days

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Submit online at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmi View the Guidelines for Authors and full submission details online at:

www.journalofmicroscopy.org 46

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

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R E P O RT

Early Career Researcher Prize-winner for Excellence in Imaging at the SBI2 European Meeting: Gantugs Atarsaikhan Award sponsored by RMS Life Sciences Section Project Description: Self-supervised Learning for Image-based Profiling of the Tumor Microenvironment

he spatial organisation of the tumor

prediction. In addition, the attention maps produced

microenvironment (TME) plays a critical

by vision transformers provide an interpretable

role in cancer progression and treatment

view of the learned spatial protein marker patterns,

response.

Multiplexed

immunofluorescence

microscopy provides detailed characterisation of the TME at single-cell resolution, but conventional single-cell analysis pipelines are often limited by segmentation accuracy, reliance on predefined features, and the inability to capture higherorder spatial relationships within tissues.

apply

the

framework

multiplexed

immunofluorescence datasets from lung, prostate, and renal cancer cohorts.The learned representations successfully identify patient subgroups with significantly different survival outcomes, consistent with previous expert-driven analyses. Our long-term goal is to

In this project, we developed a hierarchical self-

develop scalable and interpretable machine learning

supervised learning (SSL) framework for image-

methods for spatial proteomics that support biomarker

based profiling of multiplexed tissue microscopy

discovery and improve our understanding of the tumor

data. The framework learns representations directly

microenvironment.

from raw, unlabeled images by capturing both local cellular morphology and global tissue architecture, eliminating the need for cell segmentation or manual annotation. We benchmarked several state-of-the-art SSL methods, including DINO1, MAE2, SimCLR3, and VICRegL4, using vision transformers networks as the backbone architecture. The learned representations are evaluated through embedding quality metrics, downstream biological analyses, and clinical outcome

facilitating biological interpretation of the models.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Caron et al.“Emerging properties in selfsupervised vision transformers.” ICCV. 2021.

He et al.“Masked autoencoders are scalable vision learners.” CVPR. 2022.

Chen et al.“A simple framework for contrastive learning of visual representations.” ICML. 2020.

Adrien et al.“Vicregl: Self-supervised learning of local visual features.” Neurips. 2022.

Multiplexed immunofluorescence (mIF) tissue microarray (TMA) core images from lung, prostate, and renal cancer cohorts.The bottom row shows pseudo-colored cores highlighting the structural and biological hetetogeneity of the tumor microenvironment of lung, prostate and renal cancer tissues. The top row displays individual marker-channels from a small region in the prostate sample. DAPI labels cell nuclei, providing information about nuclear distribution and cell density, while PanEpi identifies epithelial cells within the tissue.The stromal compartment is characterized by SMA, FAP, and PDGFRβ, which together highlight myofibroblasts, cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subpopulations, and pericytes involved in tissue remodeling. Collagen I visualises the collagen-rich extracellular matrix, and pSTAT3 serves as a marker of activated STAT3 signaling associated with tumor progression and the tumor microenvironment. These raw, multi-channel images serve as direct input for our self-supervised learning framework, enabling the extraction of biologically meaningful spatial representations without requiring cell segmentation or manual annotation.

Biography Gantugs

Atarsaikhan

postdoctoral

researcher in the Bioimage Profiling Group at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki. His research focuses on the image-based profiling of multiplexed fluorescent microscopy images from cancer tissues. He develops novel methods leveraging deep learning architectures and high-performance computing to build scalable tools that enable the exploration of biomedical imaging datasets. Through this work, he aims to improve the characterisation of the tumor microenvironment and support the discovery of novel biomarkers. Gantugs Atarsaikhan

The Hudson Transparencies: magical work of past RMS President revisited in modern exhibition Captivating images created by a 19th-century microscopy pioneer and past president of the RMS were the subject of a fascinating exhibition at a prestigious London gallery earlier this year.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Born in London in 1828, Charles Thomas Hudson worked in

education as a teacher and headmaster. He was also a scholarly, amateur scientist at a time when advances in optical technology were opening up entirely new areas of research and discovery in Victorian Britain. Hudson was renowned for both his ground-breaking research and his ability to communicate the wonders of the microscopic world to wider audiences, notably through his ‘Transparencies’ - a set of 58 unique, handcrafted screens depicting microscopic plants and animals which he created to accompany his educational talks. Crafted during a period around the 1880s, the Transparencies consist of areas of painted paper, perforated with intricate lines and clusters of pinholes. When lit from behind and viewed in a dark environment, they depict magical visions of life previously only glimpsed when viewed under a microscope. The microorganisms are enlarged to gigantic proportions – the equivalent of drawing ants the size of elephants.

The exhibition Specially-produced

prints

Hudson’s

work

The original Transparencies measure 37.8 × 29.5

went on display during May and June at the Osh

inches (96 × 75 cm), and are contained within

gallery in Islington, London, offering visitors the

simple wooden frames, covered with thick brown

unique opportunity to experience how Hudson’s

paper. They are currently housed at the University

transparencies would have appeared

of Exeter’s Special Collections, where

to his captivated audiences. From

they are preserved as rare examples

swirling protozoa and delicate

of early scientific visual culture.

algae, to the mesmerising forms

The exhibition at the Osh was

of rotifers, the back-lit images

developed in collaboration with

helped recreate a moment

the University, whose research,

when cutting-edge science

previous displays and online

and visual culture met to

exhibition

stunning effect.The exhibition

the Hudson Transparencies

also

featured

including

ephemera

Hudson’s

years.

sketchbook and family tree.

Hudson’s Great-Great Grandsons,

Charles Thomas Hudson.

Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell, who are Partners at Pentagram - the world’s largest independently-owned design studio. The exhibition was also accompanied by the latest Pentagram Paper – a publication designed by Luke, Jody and their team, bringing together all 58 Transparencies for the first time in print.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

brought

renewed attention in recent

original

The project was conceived by

have

Exploring Hudson’s work A small number of the transparencies feature plants, but Hudson was primarily

a zoologist, and animals dominate the collection. While not all of these are microscopic, it was the tiniest animals that are almost or entirely invisible to the naked eye that particularly fascinated Hudson. One group of animals in particular, the Rotifera (whose name means ‘wheel-bearing’), became the

A collection of rotifer species.

A larva of a mayfly.

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A planktonic zoea larva of a crab, and a megalopa larva of the Squat Lobster Galathea.

Carchesium Polypinum.

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Collotheca Hoodi.

Dero digitata protruding from an empty tube of Alcyonella stagnorum.

Euchlanis Triquetra.

Planktonic larvae of the bryozoan Microporella.

A look inside the exhibition space at the Osh Gallery in Islington, London. Credit:Tian Kheesiong.

subject matter for some of his most decorative

Henry Gosse, the definitive nineteenth-century

slides. He became an international authority

two-volume monograph on the microscopic

on them, publishing twenty-six papers and co-

creatures.

authoring, with the great Victorian naturalist Philip

Hudson’s work was initially brought to the attention of Luke and Jody by their mother, Annie Hudson, some years previously. However, it wasn’t until the brothers published a social media post about their Great-Great Grandfather in 2020, that the idea for an exhibition began to take shape. Luke explains: “The response we received from friends and contemporaries encouraged us to explore his work more deeply, drawing the conclusion that the work was not only of interest both artistically (in its draftsmanship) and mechanically (in its construction), but that the transparencies’ unique position between creativity and rigour, fact and fiction, performance and presentation was in itself a space which feels as relevant now to contemporary art and design practice as ever, and warranted the gathering and presentation of his work to a wider audience.”

Charles Hudson’s obituary, as it appeared in the Journal of Microscopy in 1904.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Three views of a small sepiolid squid, Rossia, in different stages of colour change.

Rotifers of the genus Anurea.

Floscularia Ringens.

Various adult and larval water mites.

A row of Hudson’s images brought to life at the exhibition. Credit:Tian Kheesiong.

He added: “Our practice has always existed at an

favoured. His addresses were charming in style, and

intersection between function and aesthetics. Never

his lectures on his favourite topics were exceedingly

beauty for beauty’s sake – nor function to the point

interesting both to hear and see, for they were elegantly

of being disengaging, and always looking for a balance

illustrated by a method which he had made peculiarly

in which each supports and enhances the other. Our

his own.”

great-great-grandfather’s images of Rotifer sit on a similar intersection, between something magical, to be in awe of – and something more tangible and immediately understood.”

“A method made peculiarly his own” Hudson was elected a fellow of the RMS in 1872. He served as the Society’s President from 1888 to

In an age dominated by HD digital imaging and highpowered microscopes, The Hudson Transparencies invite us to reflect on how we visualise and understand the natural world. The beautiful, handmade images remind us of a much earlier moment of scientific discovery, led by dedicated amateur scientists and driven by both ingenuity and curiosity.

1890 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship the following year. He was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1889, in recognition of his work on Rotifera. Hudson died in October 1903, and the Journal of Microscopy published an obituary early the following year, alongside a list of his many papers (The Journal of Microscopy 1904, p49). The obituary states: “(Hudson’s) researches on the Rotifera are of world-wide knowledge and repute; in this branch of science he was the chief authority of his time.” It also notes: “He was the discoverer of several new genera and species of Rotifera, among which may be mentioned Pedalium Mirum. The results of his researches and observations were communicated to various scientific journals, our own being specially

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Brothers Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell pictured among some of the images in the exhibition.

Still relying on metal halide? The clock is ticking. From 24 February 2027, new restrictions will reduce the supply of mercury & metal halide lamps used in fluorescence microscopy. Fewer bulbs means higher prices, harder sourcing and a much greater risk of disruption.

Make the transition to LEDs now before you have to

Staying Ahead of the Mercury Bulb Phase-out

The True Cost of Using Mercury and Metal Halide

The University of Aberdeen replaced its mercury systems with direct-fit CoolLED LED illumination, with no major changes to existing microscope setups.

Independent testing at the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility found that moving away from mercury / metal halide to CoolLED LED Illumination could:

The transition was simple, quick and gave users a straightforward route away from mercury.

Use up to less energy

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New Member Welcome The Royal Microscopical Society would like to welcome our new members who have joined us in the last three months. We hope they enjoy a long and rewarding membership with the RMS. Dr Lasse Klausen

Dr Lawrence Coghlan

Mr Mubarak Ismail

If you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a member of the Royal Microscopical Society and if you would like us to contact them, please send their details to our Membership Administrator, Debbie Hunt – debbie@rms.org.uk Application forms are available to download at www.rms.org.uk/membership Don't forget you can now log into the RMS website and check your membership status, renew and download receipts. If you have never logged into the RMS website, please enter the email address that is linked to your membership and then click 'forgotten password'. If you have any queries or questions about your membership please contact Debbie Hunt debbie@rms.org.uk

Member Profiles Name Yin-Chen Mao Tell Us About You? I am a PhD student working on the structural mechanism of how SLC25 family mitochondrial transport work using Cryo-electron microscopy. Why did you become a member of the RMS?

How do you feel being an RMS

I would like to advance my knowledge in the field of electron microscopy.

Training; Travel support; Networking.

Name Lasse Hyldgaard Klausen

University of Copenhagen.

Tell Us About You?

Why did you become a member of the RMS?

I am a Staff Scientist at iNANO, Aarhus University. My work focuses on atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related scanning probe techniques, particularly scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM). I am particularly interested in developing quantitative nanoscale measurement approaches and applying them to biological systems and functional materials. I hold a PhD in Nanoscience from Aarhus University and have been a postdoc at Stanford University and the

member benefits you?

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

I joined RMS to engage more actively with the microscopy community, particularly within AFM and scanning probe microscopy. How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you? RMS has great events, and I look forward to staying connected with developments in microscopy and the wider community.

experience in materials for nuclear energy. My research is focused on the degradation of materials in light water reactors and aims to inform industry to prevent corrosion and extend long-time safe operation of power plants. I love microscopy and spectroscopy techniques and utilise them in my everyday research activities. Why did you become a member of the RMS? RMS is a prestigious society for people whose life is heavily connected with exploration of materials structure, such as myself.

Name Mariia Zimina Tell Us About You? I am a Senior Researcher at the Interface Analysis Centre, University of Bristol with wide

Name Zaida L. Almeida Tell Us About You? I am a researcher with a PhD in Biological Chemistry and expertise in biophysics, protein aggregation, and amyloid-related diseases. My research interests focus on the structural and functional characterisation of proteins, particularly in the context of degenerative disorders. I currently work at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, where I study protein interactions, stability, and protein aggregation/ disaggregation mechanisms.

How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you? Participation in the events organised by RMS has a strong impact on my research enabling regular meet ups with colleagues in my field and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Being an RMS member provides access to valuable scientific webinars, events, and networking opportunities, which can facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations that support both my research and professional development. I particularly value the chance to stay at the forefront of microscopy advancements, engage with an international scientific community, and leverage RMS resources to develop my expertise in microscopy techniques.

Why did you become a member of the RMS? I became a member of the RMS because microscopy plays an important role in the study of biological systems and disease-related processes. In particular, I am interested in expanding my knowledge in cryo-EM applied to amyloid structures, including oligomers, aggregates, and amyloid fibrils. How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you?

Lawrence Coghlan

Name

when exposed to a high temperature helium atmosphere whilst also working as a member of the Interface Analysis Centre.

Tell Us About You?

Why did you become a member of the RMS?

I am a specialist in the use of electron microscopy techniques for the analysis of high temperature corrosion. I have over 10 years of experience using electron microscopy after completing my EngD at Loughborough University and working as a PDRA at the University of Manchester. My current research is focused on the characterisation of advanced nickel alloys

Name Robert Wells Tell Us About You? I am a PhD Student at the University of Warwick who is researching how 2D materials can be used to defeat the fundamental silicon scaling limits, which are halting Moore's Law, through the development of in-memory architectures and neuromorphic computers. In particular, I am interested in using operando atomic resolution microscopy to better understand the physical mechanisms behind the function of molybdenum disulphide memristors so that they may ultimately be deployed at the wafer scale.

After attending Microscopy of Oxidation 2026 and speaking to the conference organisers I realised all the great work the RMS undertakes. The field of microscopy is continuing to grow and the community offered by being a member of the RMS has a global reach. There are various opportunities offered by the RMS which will assist in my career and personal development into the future. How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you? It gives access to various global events, training opportunities and a community around the world.

I am excited to join the many other researchers discovering new technologies and tackling the technical challenges to deliver these new technologies at scale.

Why did you become a member of the RMS?

How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you?

I joined the RMS to be part of the diverse community of researchers applying advanced microscopy techniques to solve the greatest challenges at the forefront of a variety of fields from material science and chemistry to biochemistry and the life sciences. With my interest in using electron microscopy for in situ and operando imaging of 2D material devices,

Collaboration and discussion are key to driving innovation and new discoveries, and I believe the vast research community in the RMS is the perfect place to grow, collaborate, and discover. Through being a member of the RMS I hope to make new connections with like-minded scientists and world-leading researchers, as well as nurturing my existing collaborations.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Name Zaman Shafiq Tell Us About You? I am currently pursuing an MSc in Biomedical Sciences after completing my bachelor's degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about biomedical research and its potential to improve human health and the quality of life. My interests lie in advancing scientific research that contributes to the betterment of mankind, particularly in understanding diseases, developing innovative therapies, and improving healthcare outcomes. Why did you become a member of the RMS? I became a member of the RMS because I wanted to connect with people who share the same passion and interests. Being part of the society gives me the opportunity to learn from others, stay informed about new developments, and contribute to a supportive community.

Name Faizan Rasool Tell Us About You? I am currently an undergraduate Student at The University of Faisalabad, within the Department of Medical lab sciences. My research focuses on APRI as a non-invasive predictor for liver cirrhosis, I look forward to connecting with other researchers and RMS members. Why did you become a member of the RMS? I joined the RMS to connect with fellow professionals and contribute to the wider microscopy community. The society is a fantastic hub for sharing technical knowledge, staying informed about the latest equipment advancements,

How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you? I am excited to be an RMS member and look forward to the opportunities it offers. I hope to expand my knowledge, connect with researchers, and learn from experienced professionals. I believe this membership will support my academic growth and help me contribute to advancing biomedical research and human health.

and supporting the next generation of microscopists through education and outreach. How do you feel being an RMS member benefits you? Being an RMS member benefits me by providing a direct link to a supportive, expert community. The discounted access to specialised training courses and conferences is incredibly valuable for developing my technical skills, while the networking opportunities help me build relationships that will support my future career in research.

NEWS

From the RMS President 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.

Professor Peter O'Toole, RMS President.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

In recent years the Journal of Microscopy has made

It has been so huge strides under the watchful eye of General Editor Michelle Peckham. It really has become the rewarding to go-to publication for a diverse and vital scientific represent the community, covering a huge breadth of research as well as serving as the pre-eminent Journal for Society at meetings, -Microscopy. It’s important to remember that the conferences and funds generated by the Journal are returned back to the Society and used to support all our activities. It’s in other settings, why publishing in the Journal is one of the very best ways to support the RMS. Meanwhile our very own and to see the infocus Magazine is reaching new audiences as an difference it is open access publication, and I hope you are enjoying this current issue! making at an I also want to stress the importance of continuity individual level. at the RMS. For all that has changed, many of our

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 p4). 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.

longest-established events and other activities

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 the Virtual European Flow Core Meeting (which

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 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! Professor Peter O'Toole

NEWS

RMS Wiley Book Series publishes new title ‘Live Biological Imaging Across

Single cells, covering single

Scales’, edited by Stephan

molecule tracking/FRET, actin,

Linder and Claire M.Wells

microtubules,

intermediate

filaments, septins, vesicles,

The RMS Wiley Book Series is

phagosomes, and confined

very pleased to announce the

environments

publication of its latest title, Live Biological Imaging Across Scales,

Multiple

edited by Stephan Linder and

collective

cells,

migration,

covering

Claire M. Wells.

endothelial

monolayers,

flow platelets, and flow,

The book is a comprehensive

wound healing, monocyte

reference exploring microscopy

transmigration,

techniques to support the study

cancer

spheroids/tumor models,

of living systems with a unique

and organoids

multiscale focus. It presents an overview of the technologies and

Organisms,

covering

experimental strategies available

Dictyostelium, C. elegans, Drosophila, and

for live imaging across scales. Each chapter

mouse-tumors

highlights a different technique, working upwards from small to large scale. Readers will find critical evaluation of these techniques and perspectives

Imaging of whole cells individually and collectively in both 2D and 3D platforms

on future developments in this evolving field,

Live Biological Imaging Across Scales is an essential

enabling them to effectively identify techniques

reference for microscopists and experimental

that may benefit their research activities.

biologists, particularly those interested and/or

Written by a team of leading experts and part of the RMS-Wiley series, Live Biological Imaging Across Scales includes information on:

working in the expanding field of live imaging in biology, as well as those working in the commercial microscopy industry supply and development.

Journal of Microscopy new special issue: Light Microscopy Core Facility Management Volume 2 The Journal of Microscopy’s first Special Issue

ELMI in Liverpool, this special issue has gone on to

on Light Microscopy Core Facility Management

become the most viewed issue of the Journal.

(Volume 294, Issue 3) sought to support core facility

managers by formalising and sharing experiences

The second volume of this special issue continues

across this wide range of adjacent yet essential

the Journal’s mission of supporting core facility

domains. Published in Spring of 2024, just ahead of

staff while expanding on ‘essential adjacent’ topics.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

This second issue reflects the evolving role of core

Editorial

facilities as professional, strategic, and sustainable

Enhanced good practice for core facilities

research environments.

Michelle S. Itano, Sebastian Munck, Kurt I. Anderson

These new facilities are described as FAIRcillities:

Expertise is the new infrastructure

findable and accessible to a broad range of users,

Pablo Hernandez-Varas, Chiara Rossi, Erin M.Tranfield,

increasingly

interoperable

across

institutions,

disciplines, and technologies, and rigorous in their

Baubak Bajoghli, Clara Prats,Winnok H. De Vos, Sebastian Munck

commitment to quality and practicing the highest

A role for core facilities in improving research

standards of imaging science.

rigour

The issue was guest edited by Michelle S. Itano (UNC Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Sebastian Munck (VIB / KU Leuven, Belgium), and Kurt I. Anderson (The Francis Crick Institute,London, UK). The issue features the following papers:

Alison J. North, Kurt I. Anderson Built to be shared: Lessons from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) on funding core facilities Mark Lagacé, Heidi Bandulet, Natalee Rubec, Olivier Gagnon, Sandra Zohar

NEWS Making the invisible visible: A global

Stress and conflict management in core

examination of careers and recognition for

facilities—News from an imaging survey

Imaging Scientists in core facilities

Jan Peychl, Chiara Rossi, Nathalie Aulner, Audrey

Kerry Thompson, Johanna Bischof,Yara Reis, Constadina

Salles, Nadia Halidi, Maia Brunstein, Adeline Mallet,

Arvanitis, Olubunmi A. Balogun, Claire M. Brown,

Karin Aumayr, Jean-Marc Verbavatz,Thomas Heuser,

Mariana De Niz, Marcela Díaz, Lize Engelbrecht,

Rachel Santarella-Mellwig, Aurelien Dauphin, Eef

Eunice Fabian-Morales, Elnaz Fazeli, Georgina Fletcher,

Parthoens, Manuel Gunkel, Martin Fritsch, Sebastian T

Adan Guerrero, Michelle S. Itano, Eleanor Kable,

Bundschuh, Rym Chaabouni, Agnes Uhereczky, Erin M

Gregory T. Kitten, Shinya Komoto, Xiaoxiao Ma, Peter

Tranfield, Pablo Hernández Varas, Sebastian Munck, the

John O’Toole, Andreia Pinto, Cora Noemi Pollak, Clara

Core4Life Consortium

Prats, Joanna W. Pylvänäinen, James Douglas Riches,

3D printing in core facilities – Low pain, high

Jean Salamero,Virginia Silio, Stefan Terjung, Sophie

gain

Winter, Graham Daniel Wright, Lisa Yen, Antje Keppler

Mohammad Goudarzi, Maximilian Schuster, rthur

People-centred funding as a catalyst for

Milberger, Manuel Gunkel, Stefan Terjung, Gabriel Krens

sustainable imaging infrastructure

Global impact through train-the-trainer (TtT)

Yara Reis, Johanna Bischof, Claire M. Brown, Michelle

courses

S. Itano, Caron A. Jacobs, Leonel Malacrida, Caterina

Mar García-Ferrés, Amy L. Bottomley, Louise Cole,

Strambio-De-Castillia, Adriana A. S.Tavares, Antje

Marcela Díaz, Neftali Flores-Rodriguez, Gleb Grebnev,

Keppler

Adan Guerrero, Caron A. Jacobs, Laurence Lejeune,

Strengthening research infrastructure through

Xiaoxiao Ma, Leonel Malacrida, Paul J. McMillan, Alison

local networks of light microscopy facilities Ann Wheeler, Dale A Moulding The ancient trading hubs of modern science: Bridging the divide between microscopists and data scientists Yasmin M. Kassim, Uri Manor Building capacity in imaging data management Silvia Melina Velasquez, Georgina Fletcher, Jean-Marie Burel, Maddy Parsons, Jason Swedlow, Matthew Hartley, Seema Bagia, Alison Beckett, James H. Crichton, Stephen John Cross, Daniel M. Foulkes, James Grimshaw, Marie Held, Kenneth Ho, Martin Jones,

Repetto, Alejandra M Ross Beraldi, Andres Hugo Rossi, Lía I. Pietrasanta, Rajan Singh, Claire M. Brown Remotely accessible optical microscopy education through a wide (and global) lens Zachary Sanchez, Miguel de Jesus, Moses David, Ali Taheri, Sunday Yinka Olatunji, Mai Rahmoon, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Bryan A. Millis International microscopy facility benchmarking survey Alfonso J. Schmidt, Ellie Cho, Nicholas D. Condon, Eleanor Kable, Paul J. McMillan

Martin Lee, Marco Marcello, Stefania Marcotti, Robert

Global survey of microscopy core facilities

Markus, Gail McConnell, Steven G.Thomas, Steven J.

Kirk J. Czymmek, Alexander Scott, Jessica B. Back,

West, Ann Wheeler, Aybüke Küpcü YoldaÅ

Derek Davies, Zhenxi Guo, Masilamani Elangovan,

Running an electron microscopy core facility Ilkka Miinalainen, Eija Jokitalo Practical strategies for marketing a core facility Austin Tagnani, Alexander Lovely, Adriana Nuñez, Heather Brown-Harding

J. North, Cameron J. Nowell, Naomi Okugbeni, María V.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Peter O’Toole Global survey of Flow Cytometry core facilities 2021 Jessica B Back, Alexander Scott, Zhenxi Guo, Masilamani Elangovan, Kirk J. Czymmek, Peter O’Toole, Derek Davies

Find out what’s coming up in the RMS Events Calendar – including Society’s Annual General Meetings The last few months of 2026 are set to feature

• BioImagingUK 2026 Meeting (12 October)

an action-packed calendar of RMS meetings,

• Thermo

conferences and courses.

Fisher

Scientific

Correlative

Analytical Workflow with STEM-CL and EDS

This includes the Society’s Annual General Meetings

for Photovoltaic and Optoelectronic Devices

(AGMs) taking place as part of Microscopy:

(13 October)

Advances, Innovation, Impact 2026 on 30 September in London. While booking for in-person attendance is now closed, all are welcome to register to attend this hybrid meeting online – up to and including the

• Facility Management Training Course 2026 (3 – 4 November) • flowcytometryUK 2026 (12 November)

day of the event itself. This is a fantastic, free-to-

• Frontiers in BioImaging 2026 (16 November)

attend event, featuring some great speakers from

• In Situ Workshop 2026 (24 – 25 November)

across the microscopy community – including recent RMS award-winners. Remaining RMS events from October to December 2026 are currently listed as follows: • FIB&Prep Meeting 2026 (7 October)

• Virtual European Flow Core Meeting 2026 (3 – 4 December) Find out more about all these great events – as well as what’s lined up in early 2027 by visiting the RMS online Events Calendar.

Flowers of ZnO By Daria Poloneeva King Abdullah University of Science and Technology The particles of zinc oxide were synthesized by co-precipitation and imaged in SEM with further false coloring. Shortlisted in the 2023 RMS Scientific Imaging Competition (EM Physical Sciences Category).

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Advanced Sample Preparation SEMPREP SMART is a high-precision ion milling solution for SEM and EBSD sample preparation, enabling damage-free surfaces and precise cross-sectioning for demanding applications.

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technoorglinda technoorglinda.com

This wantonly misleading plate opens the survey of microbes on the mtishtech site, and must surely qualify as the worst illustration of the microscopic world in the history of science.Their illustrated site claims to offer ‘online training’ for teachers of biology.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Microbial masquerade: The rise of the synthetic specimen Prof. Brian J Ford, Hon FRMS, Hon FLS Microscopy

the

science

seeing

for

oneself.

From

Leeuwenhoek’s single lenses to the digital instruments of today, its authority rests on the honest recording of what is actually observed under the objective. That authority is now under subtle but serious pressure. A growing volume of synthetic images and videos of faked microorganisms – generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and circulated as educational or scientific material – is presenting non-existent or grossly distorted specimens as fact. Students, teachers and the wider public are being shown convincing pictures of cells and microbes that have never existed. The problem is not illustration itself. Stylised drawings, simplified diagrams and even cartoons have long been used to communicate the world of microscopy and the microbial universe. The difficulty now arises when synthetic images are offered as representations of real organisms.

Fig 1a:The bdelloid rotifer Philodina is some 400µm long, and this study by Frank Fox is extensively reproduced online. It appears on his website www.mikro-foto.de and conveys a representative impression of the organism under dark-ground microscopy.

Fig 1b: By the time a typical rotifer is illustrated online by microscopicworld28, it has already acquired ventral abdominal legs, which no rotifer possesses.This image (likely created with Google Veo 3.1 or Kling 3.0) conveys a deceptively realistic appearance.

Fig 1c:The yog-blogsoth.blogsp site states: ‘Drawing a rotifer is hard … their anatomy is a bit hard to parse’ and shows this example as a menacing microscopic monster.The casual individual browsing the web could easily accept this for scientific accuracy.

Fig 1d: A rotifer video created by experimen3D has whirling coronal cilia that make it look like a power-tool, the mastax being replaced by gear-wheels and cogs, as if powered by clockwork.The appearance is that of a genuine micrograph, though it is pure fakery.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Fig 2a: Paired nuclei give Giardia lamblia the characteristic appearance of a curious face.The cell measures only about 12µm long, so in stained preparations little internal detail is resolved. Living Giardia have flagella that flutter ceaselessly, as it twists and turns.

Fig 2b: In the video of Giardia created by experimen3D, the detail claimed to be resolved by light microscopy is unachievable. Many Cytological features (the ventral axostyle, anterior rhizoplasts, a parabasal body) are missing, though the simulation is convincing.

Fig 2c: A vivid version of Giardia posted by microscopicworld28 lacks many details (axostyle, rhizoplasts) and its movement is erroneously embodied. Their Giardia glides gently along with graceful, balletic flagella and slowly turns head to tail, all remote from reality.

Fig 2d: Most bizarre is the version envisaged by the AI Grok. Using published digital images as references, it renders the nuclei as eyes, the flagella as appendages, and creates a dorsal fin from the caudal flagella. Rather than a protozoan, it looks more like a startled fish.

Fig 3a:The abundant aquatic chlorophyte alga Chlamydomonas is an ovoid cell some 15µm long, with flagella of bacterial thinness (0.2µm). It is principally characterised by its red anterior eyespot and its morphology, somewhat reminiscent of a chicken’s egg.

Fig 3b: By the time the mtishtech site have prepared their pluralised version for teachers, it has acquired twice as many (mis-spelt) flagella, situated them at opposite poles of the cell, dispensed with its eyespot altogether, and acquired the shape of a cigar.

A Longer History of Invention

microscope in biology – its inherently restricted

Fictitious microscopical images are not new. In

depth of field, its translucency, its living motion

1694 he published an engraving of a homunculus

– is supervened by the trivial aesthetics of digital

curled inside a sperm head that he claimed to

illustration.

have observed as an illustration of the spermist hypothesis (1). Later writers amplified the idea, and

Compromising Knowledge

in the twentieth century, educational cartoons such

There are now growing numbers of online

as Harry Wilmer’s Huber the Tuber (2) and wartime

resources, aimed specifically at teachers and science

animations

anthropomorphised

students, that falsify reality. There is no malice in

bacteria. These were recognised as teaching

this; they are not bent on distortion as an end in

devices or entertainment. What is different now

itself, but they display the lack of insight into the

is the volume suddenly appearing online, their

microscopic world that our educational systems

photorealistic quality, and the frequent absence of

perpetuate (4). Each seeks to assure the reader that

any indication that the image is synthetic.

they have the key to understanding, and there is a

deliberately

The rise of AI heralded the creation of images of spurious authority. The first paper to raise the

sense of confident assurance on each site that is not matched by what they convey.

warning flag appeared late last year in Nature

Experimen3D makes bold claims. ‘Discover the

Nanotechnology (3), when Nadiia Davydiuk and her

secrets of biology, physics, and the human body. Real

team presented images of authentic-looking mineral

science powered by AI for incredible, educational

structures that were created by AI using nothing

visual learning,’ states the site.The videos are visually

but text prompts. There was little to suggest that

compelling, with clearly delineated intracellular

these fictitious creations were not genuine.

features created with vivid contrast in exquisite

When such material is presented as “real science

detail. To the tyro, there is a startling sense of

reality. Regretfully, the structures are fiction, and the

the boundary between observation and invention

portrayal of living cells bears scant resemblance to

becomes compromised.The optical signature of the

any microbe. Their video of Amoeba shows it with

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

five pseudopodia, the anterior one with a distinct

like an egg-whisk, theirs glides majestically across

hint of a head, and the two on either side acting as

the slide, its flagella slowly undulating with balletic

permanent limbs. It moves like a swimming sloth.

precision, and not remotely like the living organism.

There is nothing remotely amoeboid about it. I sent

Yet the commentary omits any suggestion of AI:

a message asking about the images, but received no

‘Did you know,’ it intones in an authoritative voice,

reply.

‘this is a live Giardia lamblia trophozoite under the

Microscopicworld28 is described as ‘an engaging content creator and social media channel dedicated to showcasing the fascinating, invisible universe

microscope ...’ with no hint that this might be an idealised cartoon, a tarted-up twist on reality. I sent them an enquiry too. They blocked me.

of microorganisms’. Their page boasts of: ‘The

By far the worst of all is the mtishtech_international

things you were never meant to see. Discover the

site, and I make no apology for saying so. Mickey

hidden world of microorganisms through cinematic

Mouse is closer to Mus musculus than any of their

microscope-inspired

fascinating

organisms are to living microbes. They claim to

science in under one minute.’ Their videos are

offer ‘Online Training’ with ‘AI for Smart Teachers’

eye-catching and vivid, with crystal clear imagery

and they ask: ‘What if your lessons could come

showing pin-sharp organelles, every appendage in

alive in seconds?’ It is a valid question, though the

perfect focus and crisp cell walls sharply delineated

unmatched abominations they have created would

– thereby lies the problem. Under the microscope,

not provide the answer. They are approaching

that’s not how microorganisms appear.

70,000 followers after 11 years online, and boast

visuals.

Learn

Whereas real Giardia flutters like a leaf in the

one single response (a four star rating).

breeze, tumbling and turning, its flagella beating

Fig 4a: My earliest research publication on Spirogyra, which hangs like hair in ponds, concerned the connection between the pyrenoids in each spiral chloroplast and the centrally-disposed nucleus (6).This alga is instantly recognisable to all microscopists.

Fig 4b: Once the mtishtech video artists get to work, the fine filaments of Spirogyra are replaced with a bizarre concoction showing a ‘filamentallus’ organisation carrying out ‘chlorophyll-bear photosynthesis’ as it slowly twists and undulates unrealistically in water.

This site features an amoeba swimming with fins

and more aesthetically attractive than this synthetic

like a fish, a curious Chlamydomonas with twice

perfection.They should always be given prominence

as many flagella as it should, and Spirogyra looking

in educational resources. The Society has long set

like seaweed. They offer no link to send a direct

benchmarks for microscopical practice and for

message, which did not matter to me; there was

the communication of results. Extending those

nothing I could possibly have said.

standards to the use of synthetic imagery is a

Integrity at Stake

natural continuation of that role.

Public understanding of microorganisms has always

AI is a powerful tool for visualisation and for

been limited. Television natural-history programmes

explaining complex processes. Used openly and

rarely show real microbes (5). When they appear

accurately it can illuminate complex characteristics

they are usually crude computer graphics, and

and exemplify the extraordinary. But when misused

the new generation of AI images compounds the

without acknowledgement to invent spurious

problem. Students learn to recognise mythical

organisms, it erodes the very foundation of

forms rather than the organisms they will actually

microscopical science: the disciplined observation

encounter under the microscope.Teachers who lack

of the real. The living microbial world, recorded

extensive microscopical experience may themselves

honestly under the lens, is infinitely more

be misled. The cumulative effect is a progressive

astonishing than any synthetic substitute. Defending

contamination of the visual language of cell biology.

that record is now part of the responsibility of

The inner strength of microscopy has always been its insistence on recording what the microscopist can see. Photographs and videos have traditionally

References

been optimised for lighting, contrast and colour

1: Nicolaas Hartsoeker (1694) Essai de Dioptrique,

balance so that they can more accurately convey

page 230, Paris: Jean Anisson

the observer’s view. Retouching to remove artefacts

2: Harry A. Wilmer (1942) Huber the Tuber: A Story

or to clarify structure is legitimate when the aim is

of Tuberculosis, New York: National Tuberculosis

fidelity. Fabrication of imaginary structures is not.

Association

A Practical Response

3: Nadiia Davydiuk, E. Krieg, J. Gaitzsch, J. et al

The remedy is straightforward and within the

(2025) The rising danger of AI-generated images in

traditions of the Royal Microscopical Society.

nanomaterials science and what we can do about

Clear labelling should be routinely incorporated

it. Nature Nanotechnology vol 20, pages 1174–1177.

for any AI-generated or heavily stylised image

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-02009-9

used in teaching, outreach or publication. Online platforms and journals can require this; individual microscopists can emphasise it. Training at every level should include the characteristic appearance of living specimens under the microscope – the artifice of limited depth of field, the texture of living membranes, the coordinated

every microscopist.

4: Brian J Ford (1975). Microscopic blind spots, Nature vol 258 (5535) page 469. https://doi. org/10.1038/258469a0 5: Brian J Ford (2010) Censoring the Cell: How the Microscope is Abused by the Media, The Microscope, vol. 58, no. 3, 2010, pp. 121–129.

motion of cilia and flagella, the disposition in life of

6: Brian J Ford (1965) New Observations on the

organelles. Genuine photomicrographs – with all the

Cytology of Spirogyra, Biological Journal, vo 5 no 2:

artifice of imperfection – remain more informative

pages 5-8, October.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Brian J Ford is a research biologist, author, lecturer

where he continues to write, lecture, and research,

and broadcaster whose research has spanned

championing the primacy of direct observation in

decades at the frontier of microscopy and cell

an age of digital illusion.

biology. A Fellow of Cardiff University and former Visiting Professor at the University of Leicester and Fellow at the Open University, he has published over 30 books – including The Revealing Lens, the Optical Microscope Manual, and Genes, the Fight for Life, alongside hundreds of scientific papers ranging from algal ultrastructure, haemostatic mechanisms, and the history of microscopical observation. His pioneering research, ranging from Antony van Leeuwenhoek to cell intelligence, has been highly influential. Ford is a passionate advocate for microscopy, and presented the annual ‘Evening with Brian’ at the Inter/Micro conference in Chicago for some 40 years. He has recently turned his critical eye to the rise of generative artificial intelligence, warning that photorealistic synthetic imagery threatens to erode the empirical foundations of biological teaching. He lives in Cambridgeshire,

Brian J Ford

Contacting the Royal Microscopical Society The offices of the Royal Microscopical Society are at: 37/38 St Clements, Oxford, OX4 1AJ, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1865 254760 For general enquiries email info@rms.org.uk

For information about meetings and courses email events@rms.org.uk For membership enquiries email membership@rms.org.uk

www.rms.org.uk

Sub-units By Jessica Araujo Marques Universidade do Estado do Amazonas Image from thin films of manganese dioxide, developed for confection of flexible polimeric structures. The acquisition was performed by scanning electron microscopy (JEOL- JSM IT500 HR) in the Multi-user Center for Analysis of Biomedical Phenomena (CMABio-UEA). Short-listed in the 2023 RMS Scientific Imaging Competition (EM Physical Sciences category).

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Faster, Smarter, Clearer Imaging FLUOVIEW™ FV5000 Confocal and Multiphoton Laser Scanning Microscope

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Imaging in Biomedical Research – Obtaining Patient and Public Perspectives By Natalie Poulter and Steve Thomas, University of Birmingham As scientists we are fully aware of how important microscopy and other imaging methods are for carrying out biomedical research, and in its translation to clinical benefit for patients. However,

disease, diagnosis and treatments. Public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) is a cornerstone of modern health and care

to the lay person, these techniques are often

research, ensuring that the work being done reflects

obscured. They happen in dark corners of research

the needs, priorities and lived experiences of the

labs, are hidden behind complicated and confusing

people it ultimately aims to benefit. Rather than

jargon, or seem irrelevant to their understanding of

conducting research about or for the public, PPIE

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brings patients, carers and members of the public

funding to boost imaging networks across the

into the process as active contributors — shaping

university. We were writing a grant for money from

what is studied and how.

a very patient-orientated charity with the proposed

However, for microscopy

microscopists

hardware,

protocols, and

developing

software

biomedical

researchers

new

imaging using

microscopy to study mechanistic aspects of disease,

project using microscopy and in vitro systems, and we were struggling to get meaningful PPIE into the application. The conversation quickly developed into a plan to run a public engagement event. We

it can be hard to achieve this. The work is often so

completed the form with some thoughts on how

far removed from clinical application and answering

we would do this and before long were in receipt

the question of “how does this help me or someone

of a “Congratulations, you have been awarded your

I know?” can seem a daunting one. To help break

flash funding” email!

down some of these barriers and to try to bring PPIE into our own imaging-based research, we

Fleshing out the details

organised a public engagement event focused on

Now the idea was a reality, we needed to think

imaging in biomedical research.

about how we might deliver it. Rather than having a

Getting the idea off the ground

“drop in” event in a busy public space, we opted for bringing together a small group of members of the public and providing a series of talks and activities

As ever, the idea started with a casual comment over

covering a range of imaging areas. One of the key

coffee and the promise of some internal university

aims of the day was to develop a network of people

money. The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at

that we could begin to build a relationship with

the University of Birmingham had provided funding

and who could form an imaging PPIE group moving

to develop IMAGINE+, a campus-wide research

forward. Drawing on research strengths in the

network dedicated to advancing biomedical imaging

College of Medicine and Health, we thought about

sciences through transdisciplinary collaboration

how we might make the link between the research

and innovation. IMAGINE+ were offering flash

and how this ultimately can be used for patient

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benefit. This led us to focus on four key themes: i)

together a programme with short talks setting the

Molecules, tissues and cells, ii) Models of disease, iii)

scene, followed by round table activities with small

Imaging people and iv) Image analysis and AI.

groups to explore each area in more detail. Overall,

To provide a hook and make each one relevant, we linked to common experiences in the NHS and how microscopy and imaging contribute. For example, most people have given a blood sample at some point in their life but may not have given thought to what is done with it. So, we brought a haematologist and researcher in to talk about how blood films and bone marrow samples are made and used for diagnosis, and how techniques like super-resolution microscopy are used to investigate protein localisation in blood cells to provide mechanisms for the causes of disease.This approach was also applied to cardiac imaging (both existing techniques and new techniques under development in Birmingham); the use of spatial tissue analytics and imaging to monitor drug effectiveness in clinical trials; how histology is unlocking the cellular mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis; and how advances in image analysis and artificial intelligence tools are helping

we planned for four hours of activity, which also included a short talk from the PPIE lead from the Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre about how people can get involved in PPIE groups.

The where and the who

Whilst we initially planned to bring people to the Medical School, we ultimately moved to using The Exchange, a meeting and social space owned by the university in the city centre. This was driven by the practicalities of finding appropriate space during term time in the medical school and the excellent public transport links to The Exchange it's conveniently situated in the heart of Centenary Square in Birmingham. As we were asking people to come and spend around five hours at the event, our funding generously allowed us to provide plenty of food and drink throughout the day, and to provide each participant with a shopping voucher to say

to improve clinical diagnosis of disease (and even

thank you for their input.

getting people to help train a clinically relevant

Recruiting people to attend was our biggest worry

data set!). Working closely with each team we put

– how would we get people to attend? We wanted

a mix of people who were already part of patient

due to the enthusiasm of all the presenters, who

engagement, along with others who had no prior

worked hard to ensure that their presentations

involement. We advertised to existing PPIE groups

and activities were pitched at the right level and

in the Medical School to bring in people who

answered questions clearly. This was very pleasing

have experience of participating in these types of

to us as organisers as we had aimed to ensure that

activities already, along with using parent networks

we were able to break down barriers of jargon

at some local schools to attract some general

and complexity and project the science clearly and

members of public. We were concerned that

effectively.

holding the event during the working day might shift

Gathering feedback from the event was important

the demographics of the attendees, but ultimately

to understand if we had achieved our aims. All

were able to attract a diverse group of individuals.

participants were asked to complete a simple form

We successfully got to our target number of 20

(either on paper or online) and 12 out of the 19

sign-ups, with 19 attending on the day.

participants did so. This supported the positive

Reflecting on day

perception of the event with an average score of 4.8 out of 5 across categories including balance of

Despite some sleepless nights in the run up to the

talks / activities, quality of the talks and activities,

event, along with a few logistical challenges whilst

and engagement with presenters (which scored 5

setting up, the day itself ran smoothly. We were

out of 5). Free text comments provided further

really pleased with the energy and engagement in

context and supported these scores. It was also

the room and saw discussions continuing to run

really pleasing to see that the question “how likely

over coffee and lunch. This was in no small part

are you to take part in future public and patient

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engagement events after attending this one?” scored an average of 4.7 out of 5. This circles back to our key objective of developing a relationship to build future PPIE activity around imaging.

Some lessons learned for future events…… Whilst the day was a resounding success, there are always things that we can improve or adapt for future events. As an outreach event, our fivehour day was suitable for what we wanted to cover. However, for a PPIE event related to a particular research project, we will need to shorten and focus on a specific area/question to ensure participants do not get too tired and relevant input is acquired. Another thing that came out of the participant feedback relevant to microscopy and imaging events, is that participants are interested to see the equipment that we are talking about, rather than just hear about it or see pictures. So, if possible, events should include this option and take place close to the facilities in question.

Summary Overall, this event was equally enjoyable for the participants and the researchers delivering the activities and both groups learned a lot. For many of the researchers, this was the first time that they had taken part in such an event, and it was a good opportunity to practice communicating their work to non-experts and highlighting the relevance of their work to the public. For the participants, they went away with a better understanding of what we do and an interest in contributing more to this research area. Events like these are important for scientists to build trust with the general public and it is certainly something that we will be doing again.

sometimes feel like a closed off subject to members of the general public.” “Speakers did a great job of understanding we had little knowledge of what they were going to talk about and adapted well.” “The presentations and the sessions on the tables were both equally valuable.” “Really enjoyed the format — short talks broken up with smaller group sessions. Most of the speakers were excellent.” “Talks were short and explanatory so easy to understand.” “Presenters and facilitators were enthusiastic and managed to pitch the research information to the audience at the appropriate level and made you feel welcome.” “I really enjoyed the interactive activity at the table about AI imaging.” “Probably the most engaging chats on these talks — thoroughly enjoyed meeting researchers and able to understand the work they do.” “It was a great workshop, really interesting, welcoming. I was pleased to be able to learn something as well as contribute.”

Participant comments: “A really interesting day. I would “I really appreciated the certainly enjoy doing another opportunity to gain some insight into healthcare research, which can similar one.”

R E P O RT

Imaging Cell Dynamics Conference Montanyà Hotel, near Barcelona, Spain 11–14 May 2026

n May 2026, I attended the Imaging Cell

Hamel, who used expansion microscopy to study

Dynamics conference at the Montanyà Hotel

centrioles and synapses. As someone working on

near Barcelona. Organised by The Company

centriole biology, the level of detail that can be

of Biologists and the Journal of Cell Science, the

achieved using this approach is impressive. Another

meeting brought together researchers working at

highlight was a presentation by Jana Kroll from the

the forefront of microscopy and cell biology and

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in

provided an excellent opportunity to learn about

Berlin, who combined optogenetic stimulation with

new imaging approaches, present my work, and

cryo-ET to capture the nanoscale architecture of

establish new scientific connections.

synaptic vesicle fusion. By activating neurons with

The scientific programme was outstanding, and it is genuinely difficult to single out just a few highlights. The talks covered everything from live-

she was able to visualise an incredibly rapid process that would otherwise be almost impossible to capture. I also greatly enjoyed work from the

cell imaging and super-resolution microscopy to

laboratory of Pablo Sáez, which investigated how

mechanobiology and cryo-electron tomography

migrating cells decide whether to turn left or right

(cryo-ET). One thing that particularly struck

when navigating patterned environments. The study

me was how prominent cryo-ET has become

was both elegant and thought-provoking.

across many areas of cell biology. It seemed to feature everywhere and demonstrated just how powerful structural approaches have become for understanding dynamic cellular processes. One of my favourite talks was given by Virginie

flashes of light immediately before plunge freezing,

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

The poster sessions also provided an excellent opportunity for more detailed scientific discussion. One of my favourite posters was presented by Giulia Bertolin, who described work combining Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) with

great opportunity to share my work and discuss my results with researchers working in related areas. The questions and conversations following my talk were extremely valuable and gave me several new ideas to explore in the future. The

conference

had

wonderfully

friendly

atmosphere. The relatively small size of the meeting made it easy to strike up conversations with other delegates, and there were plenty of opportunities for networking and informal scientific discussion. The catering quickly became legendary among attendees. Michael Way, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cell Science, jokingly described the meeting as featuring “some science talks at a food conference”, which perfectly captured the mood. The food certainly helped fuel many lively scientific discussions! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and came away with new ideas, new contacts and a greater appreciation of the current imaging approaches. I eSRRF super-resolution imaging. The poster was a fantastic example of how innovative imaging

would like to thank the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) for their financial support, which enabled me to attend the meeting and present my

technologies are continuing to push the boundaries

work. The experience was enormously beneficial

of what can be measured in living cells.

for my research and professional development, and

I presented a talk entitled “How Centrioles Disengage

I am very grateful for their support.

– Insights from High Resolution Imaging”. This was a

Alan Wainmain, University of Oxford

In Memoriam Kevin Christopher McNamee (1938–2026) A tribute from his family and colleagues in the microscopy industry. Kevin Christopher McNamee, who was one of the

apprentice at Charles Baker Scientific Instrument

most respected and well-liked figures in the UK

Makers - a fitting start for a man who would go on

microscopy community, sadly passed away recently

to spend more than thirty years in the field.

at the age of 87.

subsequently

joined

Carl

Zeiss

Born in Blackrock, Dublin, on 22 September

(Oberkochen) Ltd at Foley Street, London, as

1938, Kevin came to England as a boy and

a sales representative covering both Medical

settled in Warlingham, Surrey, where he would

Microscopy and Life Science Microscopy.

spend the rest of his life. He is survived by his

was the beginning of a remarkable career.

wife Lyn, his children Andrew, Dawn and Tony, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Following a restructuring of the business in the early 1980s, Kevin was appointed Manager of the Light

Kevin’s

professional

life

microscopy

Microscope Division (LiMi), before LiMi and the

began in London, where he served as an

Systems division were merged to create a combined Microscopy Division. As its leader, Kevin became responsible for the full range of clinical, industrial and research microscopes across the UK and Ireland. He oversaw the integration of Carl Zeiss Jena into the wider Zeiss organisation, the separation of electron optics into LEO, and the expansion into the sophisticated microscope systems we see today. Under his leadership, the UK team consistently delivered the best performance of any Microscopy Division in Europe — and became the benchmark against which other national teams were measured. Those who worked alongside Kevin will remember a man who combined encyclopaedic product knowledge — his recall of part numbers was, by common agreement, legendary — with a warmth and approachability that made him a trusted figure across the industry, within Zeiss and among its competitors alike. He

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

was

deeply

supportive

Kevin is pictured here with his wife, Lyn, and the Carl Zeiss team at their December 2001 gathering.

of his team whilst always encouraging them to

Beyond work, Kevin’s love of microscopy never

reach greater heights; his steely determination

left him. In retirement, he collected several fine

to be the best was a quality he actively

instruments, including a Carl Zeiss binocular

cultivated in those around him. His influence on

microscope of the very kind he had spent a

colleagues and the business endures to this day.

career championing - a quiet testament to a passion that was never merely commercial.

Kevin’s

beyond

Kevin McNamee gave more than thirty years to

his employer. He served on and chaired the

contribution

extended

well

the advancement of microscopy in this country.

Trade Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Royal

He is genuinely missed by all who knew him, and

Microscopical Society, and was nominated to

remembered with deep affection and admiration.

membership of The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, through which he was proudly awarded the Freedom of the City of London — a distinction he held in great esteem.

If you knew Kevin, and you would like to share your memories with his family, please contact Andrew McNamee (andrew.mcnamee47@ gmail.com)

C O M PA N Y N E W S

Seeing More with Correlative Microscopy: Unlocking the Full Story of Nanoparticles Correlative microscopy combines SEM and AFM to reveal nanoparticle structure, topography and properties in a single, efficient workflow. Nanoparticles underpin advances in fields ranging from energy storage and catalysis to pharmaceuticals and semiconductor manufacturing. Yet their small size presents a persistent characterisation challenge. Accurate analysis requires more than simply imaging individual particles; researchers must understand their morphology, topography, composition and, increasingly, their functional properties. Because no single microscopy technique can provide all of this information, combining complementary methods has become essential for obtaining a complete picture. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) excels at locating and imaging nanoparticles across relatively large areas, delivering high-resolution surface detail and enabling rapid navigation to regions of interest. However, SEM alone cannot provide quantitative three-dimensional topography or nanoscale mechanical information. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), meanwhile, produces true 3D surface measurements with nanometre and even sub-nanometre vertical resolution while also measuring roughness, adhesion, stiffness and other local properties. The challenge has traditionally been correlating data from both techniques on exactly the same particle. Correlative microscopy addresses this limitation by integrating complementary imaging methods into a single workflow. Rather than transferring samples between separate instruments, researchers can identify individual nanoparticles using SEM before immediately performing AFM measurements on the identical location. This reduces the risk of contamination or losing the region of interest while significantly improving efficiency and confidence in the resulting data. The advantages become particularly clear when analysing heterogeneous nanoparticles or coated materials. SEM rapidly identifies particle size distributions and morphology, while AFM reveals subtle differences in surface texture, height and

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

roughness that are not evident from electron images alone. Mechanical mapping can further distinguish regions with different material properties, identifying coatings, contaminants or structural variations that would otherwise remain hidden. Adding elemental analysis into the same correlated workflow provides another dimension of information. Combining compositional data with quantitative topography enables researchers to differentiate particles that appear morphologically similar but differ chemically. Together, these complementary datasets provide a far richer understanding than any individual technique alone. As nanomaterials become increasingly important in advanced manufacturing, batteries, quantum technologies and biomedical research, efficient multimodal characterisation is becoming just as important as instrument performance. Correlative microscopy streamlines analysis while ensuring structural, topographical, mechanical and chemical information can be interpreted together. The result is a more complete understanding of how nanoscale features influence material behaviour, enabling researchers to answer increasingly complex scientific questions with greater confidence. Read the full application note here

Technoorg Academy: Learn. Share. Grow A free learning platform where scientists can develop

practical microscopy skills and connect with a growing international community.

doing science.

Although electron microscopy is at the heart of the platform, the community is much broader. We hope

Every scientist remembers how valuable it was to

to bring together materials scientists, metallurgists,

meet someone willing to share the practical side

geologists, engineers, microscopists, and anyone

of research. While papers explain the results, they

with a curiosity for understanding the world at

rarely show the small tricks and decisions that make

the microscopic scale. We also hope experienced

experiments successful. Technoorg Academy was

researchers will share the practical solutions

created to fill that gap.

that helped them move past the obstacles we all

Technoorg Academy is a free online learning

encounter in the lab.

platform and community for anyone interested

The beta version of Technoorg Academy will launch

in electron microscopy and sample preparation. Whether you are taking your first steps in the field or looking for fresh ideas after years of research, we want the Academy to be a place where practical knowledge is easy to find and enjoyable to explore. Registration is free and will remain free. Our goal is simple: publish useful content regularly in a format that fits into a busy day. From short videos that solve common laboratory challenges to longer webinars and searchable scientific articles, everything is designed to help researchers spend less time searching for answers and more time

during the M&M Conference in Milwaukee, with the official launch following at IMC Liverpool. Early users will help shape the platform through their feedback, ensuring that it grows into something the community genuinely finds useful. We would love for you to join us from the very beginning. Register, follow our progress, and become part of a community built around curiosity, practical science, and the belief that knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared. https://technoorg.academy

C O M PA N Y N E W S

Radboudumc decreasing beam damage in electron microscopy with SenseAI software

Radboud University Medical Centre (Radboudumc)

images or get better resolution in the images that

in the Netherlands has its own electron microscopy

we’re recording.”

centre, providing services for both the medical centre and industry.

Dr Luco Rutten, a postdoc at the electron microscopy center adds: “An additional challenge

Professor Nico Sommerdijk heads up the centre and

when imaging biological processes is that you need

is focussed on bringing together advanced electron

a large volume to look at the process.With SenseAI

microscopy techniques to advance their research, in

we are now able to reduce the electron dose to

particular liquid phase electron microscopy.

one electron per square angstrom, still reaching a

Professor Sommerdijk says: “The problem with

resolution of five nanometer using STEM.

electron microscopy is that its use a concentrated

“Our next research focus is to be able to restart

electron beam that is not only giving us information,

frozen processes in the microscope and look at

but it’s also damaging the sample. So we have to be

them live, as they would be in a real tissue sample.

very careful in how many electrons that we can use.

The sparse imaging from SenseAI will be a really

What we want to do is to reduce the damage by

important tool in achieving that.”

reducing the number of electrons that are needed.

SenseAI

has

developed

compressed

sensing

“We are now working with SenseAI, who have

technology that reconstructs high-quality images

developed a methodology where we can use only

from substantially less data. By intelligently

20% or 10% of the pixels and electrons that we’re

undersampling the scan, SenseAI enables significantly

using to create an image. When we compare these

lower electron dose while simultaneously increasing

images with the ground truth, it’s very, very difficult

imaging speed.

to see the difference. We can reduce the electron

https://senseai.vision

dose by a factor of 5 maybe 10, to record more

If you would like your Company News to appear on these pages, please contact infocus Magazine at advertising@infocus.org.uk The announcements in this Section are compiled by the manufacturers. They in no way represent a recommendation by the Royal Microscopical Society for any particular instrument or equipment. The Royal Microscopical Society does not endorse, support, recommend or verify the information provided on these pages.

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

The EM technologies you’ve trusted have a new home. Following the transfer of the Labtech Electron Microscopy portfolio, Agar Scientific is now your trusted source for many of the world’s leading sample preparation technologies.

CCU-10 Compact Coating Unit

CDS-020 Compact Drying System

PIE Scientific Tergeo-EM Plasma Cleaner

Tousimis Autosamdri-931 Critical Point Dryer

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CryoCapCell Freeze Substitution Unit

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Kleindiek MM3A Micromanipulator

world - class technologies from :

Agar Scientific is an international supplier of scientific instruments and accessories to support all forms of microscopy. Find everything you need at www.agarscientific.com.

Please contact our Application Specialists to discuss your application and requirements: sales@agarscientific.com

NEW PRODUCTS EVIDENT Launches an Award-Winning 3D Optical Profilometer Evident announces the launch of its LEXT™ OLS5500

the field of view to support accurate measurements,

hybrid 3D optical profilometer, an award-winning

while high NA WLI optics expand the field of view

platform that sets a new standard in precision

for up to 40 times faster measurement throughput

surface measurements. Uniting laser scanning

compared to conventional LSM. The system’s smart

microscopy (LSM), white light interferometry (WLI),

automation, intuitive interface, and PRECiV™

and focus variation microscopy (FVM), the OLS5500

software integration help users of all levels move

helps labs move seamlessly from first discovery to

efficiently from observation to inspection and

final decision with precise surface detail, traceable

measurement.

accuracy, and smart automated workflows.

“Our goal was to build a 3D optical profilometer

Designed for R&D, quality assurance, and quality

that bridges the gap between exploratory research

control, the OLS5500 is world’s first 3D optical

and high‑throughput surface metrology,” said Cindy

profilometer

accuracy

Zhang,VP of Product Management, Materials Science

and repeatability1 for both LSM and WLI

at Evident. “By integrating laser scanning, white light

measurements, ensuring consistent, high-precision

interferometry, and focus variation technologies,

measurements

Guaranteed

the award-winning LEXT OLS5500 enables labs to

measurement noise levels2 in accordance with

move seamlessly from fine structural insights to

offer

across

guaranteed

surfaces.

ISO standards also ensure high-resolution capture

production‑ready measurement.”

of subtle topographic changes. For larger regions,

During its pre-release, the OLS5500 3D optical

the OLS5500 guarantees3 the accuracy of stitched

profilometer received the Good Design Award

image data for both LSM and WLI.

2025 from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion,

Built on more than a century of optical innovation, the OLS5500 offers exceptional precision imaging

recognising its precision in measuring a wide range of surface types.

with in-house engineered optics. LEXT objective

For more information, visit

lenses maintain clarity and shape fidelity throughout

EvidentScientific.com/OLS5500.

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Introducing the Gatan F1-GIF System Gatan, Inc., an AMETEK business and a global leader in electron microscopy solutions, announced the F1-GIF™ System, a nextgeneration energy-filtered imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) platform that delivers deeper chemical and structural insight for advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) research.

The F1-GIF overcomes the traditional trade-off between energy range and energy resolution, allowing researchers to capture both broad spectral coverage and fine detail in a single acquisition. This reduces the need for multiple exposures, lowering electron dose, shortening acquisition times, and helping protect beamsensitive samples. “Researchers consistently tell us they need more of the energy-loss spectrum without sacrificing resolution, efficiency, or sample integrity,” said Ray Twesten, Senior Product Manager at Gatan. “The F1-GIF combines unprecedented energy range, high resolution, and low-dose performance in one platform, enabling scientists to detect trace elements, reveal subtle chemical signatures, and gain deeper insights with confidence.” At the core of the F1-GIF is a next-generation 5,760 × 4,096-pixel direct detection sensor paired with advanced electron optics. Together, these innovations deliver more than 4,000 eV of energy range with sub-1 eV/channel sampling, enabling high-resolution analysis across a broader spectrum than previously possible. The system operates across the full TEM accelerating voltage range of 30 – 300 kV, supporting both lowand high-voltage applications on a single platform. This flexibility is especially valuable for emerging materials and advanced semiconductor devices that are increasingly thin, complex, and sensitive to beam damage. “By combining next-generation direct detection with

a fundamentally new spectrometer architecture, the F1-GIF enables researchers to correlate composition, chemical state, structure, orientation, strain, and electrostatic behavior from the same nanoscale region,” said Stephen Mick, Director of Global Sales and Product Management. “The result is richer data, more reliable characterisation, and faster answers from even the most challenging materials.” Beyond conventional EELS, the F1-GIF integrates high-speed dose fractionation, low-dose spectrum imaging, and synchronised 5D STEM workflows within a unified platform. By combining elastic and inelastic scattering information, researchers can correlate chemistry, bonding, structure, orientation, strain, and internal electromagnetic fields while minimising beam-induced damage. These advancements enable researchers to acquire higher-quality data faster, accelerating discovery across semiconductors, energy materials, quantum materials, catalysts, and other advanced research fields. www.gatan.com

NEW PRODUCTS

Vision Engineering launches EVO Cam AURA, the next generation of its industry-leading digital microscope range Vision Engineering Ltd announced EVO Cam AURA, its new digital microscope platform for industrial inspection, quality control and laboratory analysis, succeeding EVO Cam II — the system that became an industry standard across electronics, automotive, aerospace, medical device and research applications worldwide. EVO Cam II built its reputation as a fast, reliable Full HD workhorse. EVO Cam AURA moves the range to true 4K imaging and brings inspection, measurement and reporting into one continuous, on-screen workflow. What’s new for customers moving up from EVO Cam II 4K imaging resolves fine detail — hairline cracks, cell boundaries, contamination, pad geometry — at the level modern components demand. Bespoke optics and optical zoom take operators from overview to close detail without a lens change, while integrated autofocus and focus stacking bring uneven or complex parts into sharp focus. The biggest shift is software: AURA software puts zoom, focus, lighting, image control, capture, measurement and analysis in one interface, keeping operators in the workflow from live image to documented result. Intelligent auto-recognition keeps magnification and measurement scaling

100

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correct, lighting recall restores settings when the ringlight changes, and metadata-based comparison can match live images to a golden sample. Supervisor Mode locks down critical parameters, and presets can be shared across systems and sites to keep results consistent. Built-in productivity tools include pulse, curtain and synchronised comparison modes, plus customisable go/no-go overlays built directly into presets. Annotation and calibrated measurement sit in the same interface, so images carry annotations, measurements, metadata and timestamps automatically. EVO Cam AURA comes in three models — 4K Touch, 4K and HD (keypad-controlled) — with a choice of illumination, objectives, stands and connectivity. It operates standalone with no PC required, connects via Wi-Fi or LAN, and supports live streaming for remote oversight. Secure variants of all three models suit restricted environments where wireless connectivity, Bluetooth or removable storage cannot be permitted — increasingly requested by EVO Cam II customers in defence and regulated sectors. An optional Oblique and Direct Viewer (ODV) accessory extends the range to angled inspection of connectors and assemblies. https://www.visioneng.com

QUALITY

Flagship 4K digital inspection for confident quality control. EVO Cam AURA is digital inspection upgraded. • See the detail that matters. 4K image quality shows the fine detail your inspection demands. • Handle challenging parts with ease. A range of integrated tools brings uneven, reflective or hard-to-see samples into clear view. • Same result, every time. Auto-recognition, Presets and Supervisor Mode keep settings consistent and traceable across your operation. • Document as you inspect. Annotate, measure and capture metadata directly on AURA. No separate PC required. Available in 4K and HD, with touch screen or buttons, and in standard and secure variants. Designed to suit your task and environment.

NEW EVO Cam AURA. Available now. Tel: +44 (0) 1483 248300 Email: enquiries@visioneng.co.uk

FOCUSED

INSPECT. MEASURE. REPORT.

NEW PRODUCTS

EVIDENT Enhances the SLIDEVIEW™ VS200 to Reveal More Biology in Every Scan Evident introduces its newly enhanced SLIDEVIEW™

slides, a manual rotatable analyser provides real-

VS200 universal slide scanner, a comprehensive

time control of the polarisation angle, and a 1 ×

platform designed to help life science researchers

2 in. slide tray expands the VS200 system’s broad

reveal more biology in every scan. VS200 version

specimen compatibility.

5.1 introduces 10-color fluorescence imaging and unmatched observation options in a modern interface, supporting efficient workflows for a wide variety of research applications from spatial biology to geology.

methods, used individually or in combination, within a single scanning session. With an unmatched range of imaging modalities, the VS200 system enables research labs to consolidate multiple instruments

With the new 10-color fluorescence imaging

into one platform and select the most appropriate

capability, enabled by SpectraSplit 10 filter sets from

imaging technique for each sample type.

Kromnigon and the pE-10 illumination system from CoolLED, researchers can image across the full UVto-NIR spectrum in a single scan, capturing up to 10 fluorescent markers in one preparation. Adding to this flexibility, the VS200 system features a modernised interface built for all experience levels, with streamlined batch scanning tools that enable users to customize settings per slide, save and recall projects, and run multiple scans within a single workflow. AI-powered rare event detection reduces acquisition time and data volume while helping ensure that critical events are not missed. Three new hardware additions expand the range of supported specimens and improve precision for

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The VS200 system supports up to 10 observation

“By combining up to 10 observation modes, multiplexing capabilities with 10-colour fluorescence imaging, and time-saving tools for faster workflows, the new VS200 system allows research labs to capture meaningful data from every sample—without added complexity or the need for multiple instruments,” said Motoki Inoue,Vice President, Product Management, Life Science Research, Evident. “This added flexibility is important as core facilities are asked to support more users, work with more sample types, and use more modalities—often within the same lab space.”

specialised imaging applications. A slide insertion

evidentscientific.com/applications/

tool reduces the manual effort required to load

vs200-for-research

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

Introducing the Large Particle Sorting Upgrade for Sony Benchtop Cell Sorter The benchtop SH800 and MA900 Cell Sorters

performance sorting with minimal setup time.

from Sony Biotechnology bring powerful, reliable

Their design makes them suitable for multi-user

cell sorting to a broad range of research needs.

laboratories and core facilities sorting a wide range

Designed with user accessibility and flexibility in

of cell types for many applications.

mind, these instruments combine advanced optics, automation, and intuitive software to deliver high-

The Large Particle Sorting Upgrade supports highly efficient recovery of large cells and particles. Combined with the 130-μm microfluidic sorting chip, this purpose-built software enables reliable sorting of semi-large (25–35 μm), large (35–50 μm), and very large (>50 μm) particles. Key benefits of the software upgrade include: • Automated system calibration for large particle sorting that eliminates manual optimisation • Custom sort settings for maximum purity and recovery • Enhanced compatibility with microcarrier platforms, irregular cells, and spheroids, making it easy to sort a wide variety of applications and starting materials. https://www. sonybiotechnology.com

If you would like your new product information to appear on these pages, contact infocus Magazine at advertising@infocus.org.uk The announcements in this Section are compiled by the manufacturers. They in no way represent a recommendation by the Royal Microscopical Society for any particular instrument or equipment. The Royal Microscopical Society does not endorse, support, recommend or verify the information provided on these pages.

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Submission Guidelines

infocus is the Royal Microscopical Society’s (RMS) vibrant and striking quarterly magazine for members. It provides a common forum for scientists & technologists who use any form of microscope, including all branches of microscopy. Published four times a year, infocus is free to members of the RMS.

• Spelling should conform with The Concise Oxford Dictionary and SI units must be used. • Abbreviations should be used sparingly and only if a lengthy name/expression is repeated throughout the article. When used, the abbreviated name or expression should be cited in full at first usage, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.

infocus features articles on microscopy related topics, techniques and developments, an events calendar, news, event reports, book reviews, new product information, and much more.

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infocus welcomes submissions of:

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Article Text

References

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Double page of magazine, 340 x 250mm (Trim size) 104

ISSUE 83 SEPTEMBER 2026

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One column/half page width, 65.5mm

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Figure 1. Width of figure or table confined to one column.

Two column/full page width, 135mm

Figure 2. Width of figure or table spanning full width of page.

105

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infocus Magazine - Issue 83, September 2026