The Microscopists
Episodes
Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu (University of California, San Francisco)
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu are Professors in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.In this episode of The Microsco...
Uri Manor (UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences)
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Microscopists, Uri Manor, Assistant Professor of UCSD, opens up about growing up with profound hearing loss and how, despite wa...
Leonel Malacrida (Universidad de la República & Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay)
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Leonel Malacrida of Universidad de la República & Institut Pasteur Montevide...
Elisa May (German Cancer Research Center)
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Dr. Elisa May, Chief Enabling Technology Officer at the German Cancer Research Ce...
Kelly Rogers (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute)
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Kelly Rogers, Head of the Division of Advanced Technology and Biology at the Walt...
Manu Prakash (Stanford University)
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're thrilled to bring you this episode of The Microscopists with an absolute force in accessible science and microscopy innovation—Manu Prakash of...
The Microscopists Discusses Menopause and Perimenopause
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of The Microscopists, we're joined by three passionate voices who share their personal experiences with perimenopause and meno...
Christophe Leterrier (CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université)
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This time on The Microscopists, we're joined by Christophe Leterrier, team leader at NeuroCyto in Marseille and director of a Nikon Center of Excellen...
Robert Haase (Leipzig University)
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're thrilled to bring you the latest episode of The Microscopists, this time featuring Robert Haase, Lecturer and Training Coordinator at Leipzig Un...
Maddy Parsons (King's College London)
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This time on The Microscopists, we're thrilled to have Maddy Parsons, Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the Nikon Imaging Centre at King's Col...
Louise Cole (Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection)
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#84 — Louise Cole is MIF Director and Associate Professor of the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection at the University of Technology...
Anna Schueth (Maastricht University)
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#83 — Anna Schueth is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences at Maastricht University. In this episode of The ...
The Microscopists Mental Health Special with Beth Cimini, Kedar Narayan, and Jason Rodgers
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#82 — In this special episode, our host, Peter O'Toole, and a panel of guests discuss mental health and its impact by sharing their struggles and vi...
Ilaria Testa (Karolinska Institutet Science Park)
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#81 — Ilaria Testa is an Associate Professor in the Science for Life Laboratory at Karolinska Institutet Science Park. In this episode of The Micros...
Ammasi Periasamy (University of Virginia)
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#80 — Ammasi Periasamy is a Professor and Director of Keck Center for Cellular Imaging at the University of Virginia.In this episode of The Microsco...
Michael Dustin (The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology)
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#79 — Michael Dustin is a Kennedy Trust Professor of Molecular Immunology and Director of Research at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the U...
Erin Tranfield (VIB Bioimaging Core, Ghent)
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#78 — Erin Tranfield is Head of the VIB Bioimaging Core, Ghent. In this episode of The Microscopists, Erin joins Peter O’Toole to discuss her insp...
Kelly Vere (University of Nottingham)
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#77 — Kelly Vere is the University Director of Technical Strategy at the University of Nottingham. In this episode of The Microscopists, Kelly joins...
Panel Discussion — Non-academic Career Paths
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#75 — In this episode, Peter O'Toole hosts an entertaining panel discussion with former members of his lab group who have gone on to pursue non-acad...
Graham Wright (A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research)
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#75 — Graham Wright is the Director of the Research Support Centre at A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research. In this episode of The Mic...
Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez (University of Gothenburg)
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#74 — Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez is the Head of the Centre for Cellular Imaging Core Facility, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and President of the...
John Eriksson (Euro-BioImaging)
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
#73 — John Eriksson is the Director General of Euro-BioImaging. In this episode of The Microscopists, John joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how he f...
Paul Verkade (University of Bristol)
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#72 — Paul Verkade is a Professor of Bioimaging in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol. In this episode of The Microscopists, Pa...
Timo Zimmermann (EMBL)
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#71 — Timo Zimmermann is Team Leader in Light and Microscopy Service and Development at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Imaging Cen...
Panel Discussion — The Network of European Bioimage Analysts (NEUBIAS)
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#70 — In this special panel discussion, Peter O'Toole is joined by members of the Network of European Bioimage Analysts (NEUBIAS), including:• Eln...
Panel Discussion — Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) Technology Focus
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#69 — In this special technology focus episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by experts in Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), including: • Th...
Beth Cimini (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard)
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#68 — Beth Cimini is a Senior Group Leader at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. In this episode of The Microscopists, Beth joins Peter O’Too...
Panel Discussion — BioImaging North America (BINA) Executive Board Members
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#67 — In this special episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by Executive Board Members of BioImaging North America (BINA), including:• Alison North, Re...
Andres Kamaid, Leonel Malacrida, and Mariana De Niz
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#66 — In this special episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by researchers from the Latin American community, including: • Andres Kamaid, Researcher at...
Ron Germain (National Institutes of Health)
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#65 — Ronald Germain, M.D. is a Distinguished Investigator and Lab Chief of the Lymphocyte Biology Section at the National Institutes of Health. In ...
Jean-Yves Tinevez (Institut Pasteur)
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#64 — Jean-Yves Tinevez is a Research Engineer at Institut Pasteur. In this episode of The Microscopists, Jean-Yves joins Peter O’Toole to discuss...
Kedar Narayan (Frederick National Laboratory and National Cancer Institute)
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#63 — Kedar Narayan (Frederick National Laboratory and National Cancer Institute) joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how he originally wanted to be a ...
Lucy Collinson (The Francis Crick Institute) and Kirk Czymmek (The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#62 — Lucy Collinson (The Francis Crick Institute) and Kirk Czymmek (The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center) join Peter O’Toole to discuss volu...
Lindau Special - A personal interview with Joachim Frank (Columbia University)
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#61 — Joachim Frank is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his involvement...
Mahmoud Maina (BioRTC), Ben Loos (SABI), and Caron Jacobs (ABIC)
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#60 — In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O'Toole is joined by three representatives of bioimaging networks in Africa: Caron Jacobs of the A...
Aydogan Ozcan (UCLA)
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
#59 — Aydogan Ozcan is Chancellor’s Professor and HHMI Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA Samueli School o...
Laura Waller (UC Berkeley)
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#58 — Laura Waller is Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. In this episode of The Microscopis...
Michael Albiez (Zeiss Microscopy)
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#57 — Michael Albiez is CEO of Carl Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions. He chats to Peter O'Toole about how Zeiss Microscopy recently won the Germa...
Stefan Hell (Max Planck Institute)
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#56 — Stefan Hell is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and at the Max Planck Institute for Medical R...
Emma Lundberg (Stanford and KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#55 — Emma Lundberg is Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, Professor in Cell Biology Proteomics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology,...
Florian Jug (Human Technopole, Milan)
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#54 — Florian Jug is Research Group Leader and Head of the Image Analysis Facility at Human Technopole, Milan. Florian joins Peter O'Toole to discus...
Christian Eggeling (IPHT, Jena)
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#53 — Christian Eggeling is Head of the Department of Biophysical Imaging at the Institute of Photonic Technologies (IPHT, Jena). In this episode of...
Wah Chiu (Stanford University)
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#52 — Wah Chiu is Wallenberg Bienenstock Professor, and Professor of Bioengineering, and Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University. In this...
Antje Keppler (Euro-BioImaging)
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#51 — Antje Keppler is the Director of Euro-BioImaging Bio-Hub. In this episode of The Microscopists, Antje joins Peter O'Toole to discuss the recen...
Michael Sheetz (UTMB)
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#50 — Michael Sheetz is the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry at the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at...
Elisabeth Bik (Science Integrity Digest)
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#49 — In this episode, we talk to Elisabeth Bik, former microbiome researcher turned scientific integrity consultant. Elisabeth spends her time sear...
David Piston (WUSTL)
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#48 — In this episode, we talk to David Piston, Professor and Head of Cell Biology and Physiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in...
Ed Boyden (MIT)
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#47 — From an early start in the lab at just 14 years old, to running one of the largest neuroscience groups in the world, Ed Boyden is a Professor ...
Stefan Terjung (EMBL)
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#46 — Stefan Terjung is operational manager at the Advanced Light Microscopy Facility in Heidelberg, one of the first microscopy core facilities est...
Eija Jokitalo (University of Helsinki)
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#45 — Eija Jokitalo is the Director of the Electron Microscopy Unit at the University of Helsinki, whose work focuses on understanding organelle str...
Gail McConnell (University of Strathclyde)
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#44 — Gail McConnell, Professor of Biophotonics at the University of Strathclyde chats to Peter O'Toole about her groundbreaking work developing new...
Elizabeth Villa (UC San Diego)
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#43 — Elizabeth Villa, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at UC San Diego talks to Peter O'Toole about the benefits of collaborative pro...
Claire Brown (McGill University)
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#42 — Claire Brown, Associate Professor & Director of the Advanced BioImaging Facility at McGill University, talks to Peter O'Toole about the im...
Ralf Jungmann (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and LMU Munich)
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#41 — Ralf Jungmann, Professor and group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and LMU Munich joins Peter O'Toole in this episode of Th...
Brad Amos (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#40 — Brad Amos, Emeritus Scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, joins Peter O’Toole in this episode of The Microscopists to discus...
Teng-Leong Chew (HHMI Janelia Research Campus)
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#39 — Ever wondered just what it’s like working at the HHMI Janelia Research Campus? Teng-Leong Chew, Director of the Advanced Imaging Center at J...
W. E. Moerner (Stanford University)
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#38 — W. E. Moerner of Stanford University is a pioneer in the field of super-resolution imaging for cell biology. Tune in as W. E. joins Peter O’...
Holly L. Aaron (UC Berkeley)
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
#37 — Peter O’Toole’s guest for episode #37 of The Microscopists is Holly L. Aaron, Director of the CRL Molecular Imaging Center at the Universi...
Paul Nurse (The Francis Crick Institute)
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#36 — Today's guest on The Microscopists is Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, Chief Executive and Director of The Francis Crick Institute in London. Pa...
Sir Jeremy Farrar (Wellcome Trust)
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#35 — You’re in for a treat in this episode of The Microscopists as we’re joined by Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome. We learn more about...
Michelle Itano (UNC)
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#34 — Michelle S. Itano is the Director of the Neuroscience Center Microscopy Core at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In this episode ...
Mark Ellisman (UCSD)
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#33 — Mark Ellisman, Director of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) at UCSD, is a leader in the development of 3D light...
Martin Chalfie (Columbia University)
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#32 — Today’s guest on The Microscopists is none other than Martin Chalfie of Columbia University. In this inspiring episode, we discover more abo...
Joerg Bewersdorf (Yale University)
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#31 — Joerg Bewersdorf is a leader in developing fluorescence microscopy techniques for biomedical research, such as Pan-Expansion microscopy. In to...
Prisca Liberali (FMI)
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#30 — Prisca Liberali of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) is a pioneer in the field of cellular self-organization and ...
Jan Ellenberg (EMBL)
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#29 — On this week’s episode of The Microscopists, we chat to Jan Ellenberg, Head of Cell Biology & Biophysics Unit at EMBL, Heidelberg. Jan’...
Markus Sauer (University of Würzburg)
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#28 — Markus Sauer of the University of Würzburg is a super-resolution microscopist and one of the pioneers behind dSTORM (direct stochastic optica...
Judith Klumperman (UMC Utrecht)
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#27 — Judith Klumperman of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht is one of the leaders in the field of electron microscopy and her work has co...
Elizabeth M. C. Hillman (Columbia University)
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#26 — You may know Elizabeth M. C. Hillman (Columbia University) as the pioneer behind SCAPE microscopy, but in episode #26 of The Microscopists, we...
Harald Hess (HHMI Janelia Research Campus)
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#25 — Harald Hess is a pioneer in the fields of high-throughput electron microscopy and super-resolution 3D microscopy, and today we’ll discover m...
Chris Lintott (University of Oxford)
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#24 — In this episode of The Microscopists, we’re joined by astronomer Professor Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, co-founder of The Zoon...
Mark Bray (Novartis) and Pearl Ryder (Broad Institute)
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#23 — In this episode of The Microscopists, we have a double-header for you as we’re joined by Mark Bray of Novartis and Pearl Ryder of the Carpen...
Richard Henderson (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#22 — In this episode of The Microscopists, we’re joined by molecular biologist, biophysicist and Nobel Laureate Richard Henderson from the MRC La...
Stephani Otte (CZI)
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#21 — In this episode of The Microscopists, we’re joined by Stephani Otte, Imaging Program Officer for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. We’ll dis...
Yannick Schwab (EMBL)
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#20 — In this episode of The Microscopists, we’re joined by Yannick Schwab of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg, who is ...
Jennifer Waters (Nikon Imaging Center)
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#19 — Prepare for some serious houseplant envy in this episode of The Microscopists, as we talk to the multi-talented Jennifer Waters (@JenCWaters),...
Anne Carpenter (Broad Institute)
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#18 — You may know Anne Carpenter best as the brains behind the CellProfiler™ image analysis software, but today we learn more about what makes An...
Ernst H.K. Stelzer (Goethe-Universität)
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#17 — There’s no question that Ernst H. K. Stelzer is a key figure in the world of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, but did you know that ...
Spencer Shorte (Institut Pasteur)
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In memory of Spencer Shorte.#16 — Spencer Shorte was the Chief Scientific Officer of Institut Pasteur Korea, the creator of the Imagopol, and the fo...
Ottoline Leyser (UKRI)
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#15 — Along with becoming a Dame, Ottoline Leyser also recently became Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a UK body dedicated to ...
Rita Strack (Nature Methods)
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#14 — You may feel you know Rita Strack (Senior Editor at Nature Methods) already if you follow her engaging and friendly twitter feed (@rita_strack...
Rainer Heintzmann (Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#13 — You may know Rainer Heintzmann (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) as one of the pioneers of structured illumination microscopy (SIM) but her...
Eric Betzig (University of California)
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
#12 — This episode of The Microscopists was recorded LIVE with a very special guest - Eric Betzig!We already know so much about Eric, but I hope tha...
Petra Schwille (Max Planck Institute)
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#11 — Petra is a dedicated high flyer that simply loves her work (and her music, for which there is little she cannot play to concert level!). We ch...
Jeff W. Lichtman (Harvard University)
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#10 — From Cajal to Google, networks to solve networks! Jeff is another person who simply does not stop innovating and exploiting new technology. In...
Dan Davis (The University of Manchester)
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#9 — What a time to chat with an immunologist! It makes a change to hear Dan talking about himself, how he developed his career, including the real ...
Lucy Collinson (The Francis Crick Institute)
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#8 — Lucy Collinson has been at the forefront of 3D volume and correlated electron microscopy since setting up the internationally renowned faciliti...
Hari Shroff (NIH)
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#7 — Young, successful and still so disarming. In this episode, Hari Shroff reveals what it was like to work in the exciting area of Super-Resolutio...
Scott E. Fraser (University of Southern California)
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#6 — It would be fair to say that Scott Fraser has influenced the microscopy community more than most. As the person behind the Meta detector, he ma...
Ricardo Henriques (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência)
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#5 — There’s no doubt that Ricardo’s career so far has been stellar. He’s moved up the career ladder at lightning speed, starting his own grou...
Alison North & Kurt Anderson (Rockefeller & Francis Crick)
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#4 — Ever wonder how people end up working in a core facility? You are about to find out. In this show, Peter O’Toole welcomes Alison North from T...
Jason Swedlow (The University of Dundee)
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#3 — In this latest episode, Peter O’Toole chats to Jason Swedlow of The University of Dundee, whose open-source tools are revolutionising microsc...
Tony Wilson (The University of Oxford)
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#2 — Step into a brief history of how the confocal microscope came to be! Peter O’Toole chats with one of the pioneers of the confocal microscope ...
Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
#1 — Join this informal chat between Peter O’Toole and Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz of The Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Beyond kayaking to wor...