About
Currently there is no specific section within the RMS dedicated to X-ray Microscopy despite the technique being widely used across many scientific disciplines including those well represented by members of the Society. Given this the Society is setting up a Focussed Interest Group (FIG) for X-ray Microscopy.
At this stage we are keen to gauge interest from the wider Microscopy Community in the FIG and particularly from those who would be interested in getting involved.
X-ray microscopy covers a wide variety techniques and implementations across both life and physical science disciplines. An initial question that will need to be responded to early on by the FIG is what flavours of microscopy will be covered by the group in order to ensure that the group retains focus and relevance whilst also catering to the needs and interests of both life and physical science users of X-ray microscopy.
X-ray imaging is particularly powerful when the results are correlated with other imaging modalities, in particular light microscopy and electron microscopy – both techniques which feature strongly in the portfolio of the RMS. Given this we hope that there will interest and opportunity to work alongside other sections of the RMS to organise meetings and workshops to highlight the opportunities afforded by correlated imaging techniques.
X-ray microscopy data can be collected both on laboratory based X-ray sources such as rotating anodes and also at centrally based synchrotron facilities. Thus we are looking for representation within the FIG from both synchrotron users of X-ray microscopy techniques and those based in the laboratory. Those who use both would be particularly welcomed!
Cross representation from both academic users of X-ray microscopy and those based in industry is important as is a good balance between life and physical science users. Additionally there are many vendors of X-ray microscopy systems and their contribution would be greatly appreciated.
In summary, to establish the X-ray Microscopy FIG were are looking for:
- Scientists using X-ray microscopy techniques in both life and physical sciences
- Scientists interested in developing X-ray microscopy techniques and instrumentation
- Both academic and commercial users of X-ray microscopy
- Commercial vendors of X-ray microscopy equipment
We will start by deciding what areas of X-ray microscopy will be covered.
Then we will look at organising meetings, workshops and other events to raise the profile of X-ray microscopy, to encourage take up of the techniques and to provide expert training to the community.
If you are interested in becoming part of the group please contact Liz Duke and Charles Wood.
Useful Resources: White paper on X-ray Microscopy in plant biology by Keith Duncan
Group Members
Liz Duke
Liz has a degree in physics from the University of Birmingham and a D.Phil. in Molecular Biophysics from the University of Oxford in which she focussed on the on the use of Laue crystallography for time resolved macromolecular crystallography.
On completing her D.Phil she took up a post doc position at the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire to work on the development of multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) techniques for macromolecular crystallography (MX). She remained at the SRS, becoming a beamline scientist and then a senior beamline scientist building a number of beamlines and spearheading many technical developments including the implementation of the first graphical user interface for MX data collection, establishing data collection with CCD’s and starting a project to automate the beamlines before the bright light of the Diamond project lured her south and back to Oxfordshire.
At Diamond Light Source Liz built the three MX beamlines that formed the life science component of Phase 1 of the construction project. Following their completion Liz had a carpe diem moment and grabbed the opportunity to develop a beamline for the emerging technique of cryo soft X-ray microscopy for biology – a project which involved designing and building the beamline in parallel with developing sample preparation, data collection and analysis protocols.
Continuing to focus on establishing X-ray imaging in biology Liz accepted an offer of a Team Leader position at EMBL Hamburg where she is establishing a team and is now exploring the possibilities for using hard X-rays in the study of soft biological tissue.
Carles Bosch Piñol
I am a neuroscientist at the Francis Crick Institute (London) specialising in multimodal, correlative imaging of neural circuits. By combining an array of imaging techniques, I have developed a strategy to target specific regions in the brain to be explored with ultrastructural precision while keeping the big picture that provides context. These techniques involve light, X-ray and electron microscopy. X-ray imaging of soft tissue samples can provide volumetric information non-destructively along with a resolving power that reaches interesting both multi- and sub-cellular features of interest. Accordingly, it plays a crucial role in bridging the mm with the µm scales in this correlative workflow. Using this approach enables studying the structure and function of the same neural circuit, and it gets us a bit closer to understanding how mammalian brains work.
My current research addresses the structure and logic of the neural circuits for smell. My background includes a BSc in Biotechnology (UAB, Barcelona), a MSc in Neuroscience and a PhD in Biomedicine (UB, Barcelona). Furthermore, I am interested in facilitating scientific discovery and multidisciplinary collaboration. I participate in diverse outreach initiatives, and have organised science-focussed events tailored to both specialised and broad audiences.
Grace Burke
Grace, Professor Emeritus at the University of Manchester, is INL Laboratory Fellow at the Idaho National Laboratory, where she is scientific lead for reactor structural materials, having previously been Corporate Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From 2011 through 2021, Grace was the Director of the Materials Performance Centre and Professor of Materials Performance in the School of Materials at the University of Manchester. She was also Director of the Electron Microscopy Centre from 2012 through 2016. Grace is a physical metallurgist for whom microstructural characterisation has always represented an integral and fundamental component of research into materials performance. She obtained her BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and her PhD in Metallurgy from Imperial College of Science and Technology where her SCC research work included analytical, high voltage and in situ electron microscopy. Grace then joined the US Steel Research Laboratory where she conducted research on ferrous alloys including the use of atom probe field-ion microscopy as a complementary technique to AEM in the investigation of commercially important materials.
Subsequently, Grace joined the Westinghouse Science & Technology Centre where she applied of combinations of AEM and APFIM techniques to a broader range of nuclear and power generation materials. In 1994 she moved to the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in order to focus her research on the environment-sensitive behaviour of engineering alloys in nuclear reactors, and, in 2009, was the first woman to be promoted to the highest scientific position, Consultant.
At Manchester and her subsequent positions, Grace has continued her to employ her established portfolio of advanced techniques to address a range of materials issues to investigate precursor reactions of material degradation liquids and gases, and irradiation-induced behaviour. Grace was the 2005 President of the Microscopy Society of America and has been a Fellow of RMS since 1988. She is also a Fellow of ASM International, the Microscopy Society of America, the Microanalysis Society, IOM3 (UK), and TMS (USA).
Tim Burnett
I am Director of the National lab X-ray computed tomography facility (nxct.ac.uk) which is a national research facility set up by EPSRC as partnership between Manchester, Southampton, UCL and Warwick Universities and Diamond light source. It is our mission to provide access and support to UK researchers to enable them to take advantage of X-ray imaging from first time users to expert users conducting novel experiments. We are also exploring how we can support the visualisation and analysis of the very largest 3D and 4D images to help our users.
My area of expertise is in materials science and I have a focus on developing time-lapse and in-situ X-ray imaging and in particular using this as a starting point for correlative imaging investigations. Watching how materials behave as they are tested gives amazing insight to understand their performance but often further detailed investigations are needed. For example it is often vital to confirm the chemistry or crystal structure of the material at the point of failure. By using focused ion beam (FIB) and electron imaging techniques I have been able to target regions of interest for further forensic investigation. I am particularly interested in the environmentally assisted cracking of aluminium alloys where the combination of an applied stress, a humid atmosphere and a susceptible microstructure is enough to cause failure well below the expected strength of the material. It is a fascinating synergy combining the effects of stress and corrosion reactions with the material at a very subtle level that has meant this phenomenon is still not well understood after over 50 years of research!
Lucy Collinson
Lucy is Head of Electron Microscopy at The Francis Crick Institute in London. Her degree and PhD were in Microbiology, followed by a post-doctoral position in Cell Biology using light and electron microscopy to investigate membrane trafficking pathways at University College London. Following that she ran biological EM facilities, first at UCL and then at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, which became part of the new Francis Crick Institute in 2015. Her microscopy interests cover 3D EM, Correlative Light and EM, X-ray microscopy, image analysis, and microscope design and prototyping.
Katie Dexter
Dr Katie Dexter specialises in in vivo imaging in the Biomedical Imaging Unit at the University of Southampton. Here she focusses on microCT and optical (fluorescence/bioluminescence) imaging in small animals such as mice, rats, and rabbits.
Katie began her career studying Physics at the University of Leicester. Her PhD involved synthesising magnetic nanoparticles with specialist in-house ultra-high vacuum systems, with analysis via TEM. Throughout her studies, she worked in various imaging projects such as: ultrasound for stroke research, hyperspectral imaging for sepsis diagnosis, and on a miniature gamma-camera for use in surgery.
Prior to her post in Southampton, Katie worked at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, where she worked on a great variety of preclinical imaging systems including: Siemens Inveon microPET/CT, Bioscan NanoSPECT/CT, Bruker ICON 1T MRI, MILabs VECTor6-CTXUHR SPECT/PET/CT, and IVIS Lumina 3 Optical Imaging. This post was Katie’s first taste of preclinical imaging and X-ray CT, and she hasn’t looked back since!
Katie thoroughly enjoys the complexity of imaging animals and producing high quality imaging and analysis protocols for medical research.
Keith Duncan
Keith Duncan is a research scientist in Dr. Christopher Topp’s lab at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (St. Louis, USA) and Director of the X-ray imaging facility. Duncan earned a BS in Biology in 1988 and, after completing an internship at the University of Sydney (Australia) studying fungal diseases of wheat, barley, and oats, he attended graduate school in Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia (USA). In 1991 Duncan joined Dr. Rick Howard’s microscopy and imaging facility at the DuPont Experimental Station (Wilmington, DE, USA) using light, laser, and electron microscopy to study plant-fungus interactions. After this facility was closed in 2016, Duncan joined Dr. Topp’s lab at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, pioneering the use of X-ray microscopy in plant biology, and assisting a multidisciplinary team in studying root system architecture and the role of plants and microbes in the larger soil ecosphere. Duncan is a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, has dual USA-Australian citizenship, and holds a National level certification in the United States for training soccer goalkeepers.
Marco Endrizzi
I was trained as an experimental physicist and joined the X-ray imaging field during my PhD. My contributions include a method for performing X-ray dark-field imaging with incoherent illumination, hence suitable for implementation using standard X-ray tubes in laboratory settings. I am co-Director of the National Research Facility for lab-based X-ray Computed Tomography (NXCT, https://nxct.ac.uk/). At UCL we have the first X-ray phase-contrast imaging systems available to users outside a synchrotron. My interests are focussed on developing instrumentation, as a mean to empower the research community with new tools.
Llion Evans
Dr Llion Marc Evans holds an EPSRC Manufacturing Research Fellowship (2018-2023) at the Zienkiewikz Centre for Computational Engineering, Swansea University. He is also Director of the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Data-Driven Engineering Design (ADDED), Chair of the annual ‘Image-Based Simulation for Industry’ event and an Exec Member of the Collaborative Computational Project in Tomographic Imaging. His main research interests are image-based simulation using the finite element method (IBSim) and its application in high-value manufacturing (HVM).
Dr Evans completed his PhD at the School of Materials, University of Manchester. Dr Evans has worked for over 10 years on developing techniques for ‘Image Based Finite Element Modelling’, a process which converts three-dimensional data (e.g. X-ray computed tomography) into high resolution simulations thus capturing features such as manufacturing defects.
After his PhD Dr Evans worked at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) applying the IBSim technique to investigate the manufacturing process for high heat flux components being designed for DEMO, the first demonstrational fusion power plant. He also used his background in X-ray tomography to contribute to the FP7 AMAZE project in additive manufacturing.
Through the EPSRC Manufacturing Research Fellowship his work focusses on industrial application of IBSim for Virtual Qualification. This research is in collaboration with Airbus Defence & Space, Diamond Light Source, The MTC, Synopsys, TWI, UKAEA and the University of Manchester.
Kenneth Fahy
I am trained as an experimental physicist, and during my PhD and postdoc at University College Dublin I began working with extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray plasma-based light sources for imaging and metrology applications. I subsequently co-founded SiriusXT to develop and commercialise a lab-scale soft X-ray microscope for biological imaging in the ‘water window’, a region of the EM spectrum in which water is transparent to these wavelengths but organic molecules are absorbing. My job is focused on developing the instrumentation as well as exploring the many applications of soft X-ray microscopy, including the development of correlative techniques to help answer biological questions across a broad range of length scales and complexities.
Vincent Fernandez
Vincent is the manager of the X-ray CT laboratory at the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, UK. He is a palaeontologist by training and likes imaging fossils, but founds interest on all types of objects he can X-ray.
Vincent did his PhD at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France) where he studied fossilised eggs, using X-ray CT to image vertebrate embryos preserved in them. His skills on the virtual extraction of fossils lead him to the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa) where he spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow looking at fossils of mammal-like reptiles preserved in fossilised burrow casts. In 2013, he returned to the ESRF, first as a post-doctoral fellow and then as a junior scientist. During this time, Vincent developed more interest in the imaging process, trying to help users with all sorts of samples, but started to be interested in programming to improve image quality. In 2018, he moved to the NHM, helping users with their experiments and data analysis.
Amin Garbout
Amin completed his PhD at Aarhus University in Denmark focusing on the use of X-ray Computed Tomography imaging to visualise and quantify soil structure. He then moved to the UK and after three years as postdoc at the University of Nottingham, he joined the Natural History Museum to work at the X-ray Imaging facility. He has been involved and contributed in numerous project in palaeontology, archaeology and curation. Some of those projects had high impact in TV program with Sir David Attenborough. He is now working at the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging facility (The University of Manchester) as Senior Experimental officer, he collaborates with industry and develop open AI and image analysis methods for material science.
Jeff Gelb
Jeff is a product manager at Sigray in Concord, California, USA, focused on X-ray microscopy. He began his career by working with X-ray diffraction instrumentation while completing a physics degree at UC Santa Barbara. He then became interested in multi-scale X-ray tomography through his work at Xradia and, later, ZEISS. Jeff completed a Master's degree in materials engineering at San Jose State in 2017, with a research focus in developing non-destructive characterization routines for lithium-ion battery analysis using micro-CT. With his move to Sigray, Jeff is excited about the future of laboratory X-ray characterization, leveraging modern advancements in data analysis tools for automating powerful 3D workflows.
Brian Hayes
Brian is retired from GSK where he ran a facility for Micro-CT, confocal microscopy and image analysis. Confocal microscopy research at GSK was on cell vesicle trafficking and cellular biomarkers of inflammation, and Micro-CT on bone thinning and lung fibrosis. He has a degree in Zoology and a PhD in development of synapses in the spinal cord, using electron microscopy and image analysis. He was a lecturer at the Institute of Ophthalmology London, working on retinal organisation and cataract formation, before joining GSK in 1989. His interests continue in Micro-CT of bone and soft tissues, in new aspects of light microscopy such as light sheet imaging and super-resolution, and in automated image analysis.
Francesco Iacoviello
Dr Francesco Iacoviello is the Experimental Manager in the EIL X-Ray Facility, part of the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL. He gained his PhD from the University of Siena (Italy) in 2012 in Mineralogy and Earth Sciences and then moved to the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) where he served as an X-ray diffraction specialist and laboratory manager at the Oceanographic Institute of the same university. Francesco joined EIL in 2015 where his research broadly encompasses the multi-scale X-ray Computed Tomography characterisation of a different array of materials, from electrochemical devices to geomaterials such as shale gas rock, carbon capture and storage systems.
Martin Jones
Martin is currently Deputy Head of Microscopy Prototyping in the Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform at the Francis Crick Institute. His work focuses on developing new software and hardware tools for dealing with the deluge of data coming from modern microscopes. His background is in experimental quantum optics from the University of Sussex. After postdoctoral research and teaching fellowships in physics, he moved to the Vascular Biology Lab led by Holger Gerhardt at Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute to work on microscope development and image analysis. From there he moved to the LRI’s Electron Microscopy core facility, led by Lucy Collinson, which subsequently moved to its current home at the Francis Crick Institute. Martin now works closely with the Crick’s Scientific Computing Science Technology Platform to work on methods for analysing large complex imaging datasets and has a strong interest in training.
Brinthan Kanesalingam
Brinthan Kanesalingam is a postgraduate student at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, specialising in the field of X-ray microanalysis of naturally occurring three-dimensional materials. His primary research area involves the development of characterisation techniques for micro- and nano-spheres utilising microscopy, spectroscopy, digital image processing, and machine learning methods. Brinthan is actively engaged in the exploration of X-ray interactions with materials through both simulations and experimental studies, with a particular emphasis on characterising three-dimensional spherical materials. Further, he is thrilled about the potential to create meaningful representations of microscopic and spectroscopic data through the application of machine learning and simulations. He is enthusiastic about contributing to the development of multi-model workflows that integrate X-ray imaging with other microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Currently, he is actively searching for a doctoral position in a dynamic research team that aligns with his enthusiasm and determination.
Roland Kröger
Roland is a Professor at the Department of Physics at the University of York concentrating on Nano- and Biomaterials using electron microscopy as well as various spectroscopy tools including Raman microscopy and X-ray techniques. He obtained his PhD from the University of Hamburg/Germany and the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Science and Technology in Braunschweig/Germany. Roland has since built a large expertise in Materials Physics and Materials Science covering diamond thin films, metal/semiconductor nanostructures, nitride based light-emitting devices, metal nanoparticles for biomedical applications and biominerals using focused ion beam as a key method for sample preparation and analysis. Besides his interest in multi-lengthscale material characterization in 3D he is particularly focussing on in situ techniques to study mineralisation processes in liquid environments.
Satyam Ladva
I am the Technical Product Manager at Quantum Design UK and Ireland, in charge of managing our X-ray and optics product lines, on behalf of our suppliers Sigray Inc. and Moxtek Inc. Sigray Inc. focus on the production of large scale X-ray systems including 3D X-ray Microscopy both NanoXRM and MicroXRM. Moxtek inc. focus on providing a range of X-ray sources, optics and detectors for a variety of handheld and table top systems. We are also representatives of Raptor Photonics, who manufacture X-ray Cameras. My own background in X-ray techniques includes the use of X-ray Diffraction and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, as well as EDX in SEM, during my Engineering Doctorate project at UCL on carbon nitride and other related materials. Further X-ray industry knowledge I enhanced during my time at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Fatima Linares
Scientific Instrumentation Center (CIC), University of Granada (UGR)
Dra Fátima Linares is the head of the X-Ray Microtomography Service at the Center for Scientific Instrumentation of the University of Granada (UGR) since 2016. She completed her Doctoral Thesis in the Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry at the University of Jaén (2007). In January 2008, she joined the University of Granada as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. She completed her pre and postdoctoral research at the University of Stuttgart, Germany (2004-2005) and the University of Insubria, Italy (2009). Her current research interest lies in the field of life sciences, mineralogy, and geology. She is part of the research team of the projects: 1) Identification and characterization of biomarkers of endolithic microbial habitats and analogs of Mars: Valle Seco, Antarctica, Atacama Desert, and meteorite ALH84001 and 2) From biocrystals to shells: which factors control the organization and growth at different levels and 3) EXCITE Electron Microscopy and x-Ray Microscopy community for structural and chemical imaging techniques for earth materials, carrying carry out experimentation in the field of X-ray microtomography.
Rosy Manser
I was first introduced to X-ray imaging in 2015 when I looked after the X-ray Microscopy business for ZEISS in the UK. Prior to this my microscopy experience was very much seated in the visible light world with fluorescence imaging forming the bulk of my day to day thinking. When I moved into X-ray imaging the first thing that struck me was the vast range of specimens that can be explored. Having seen incredible datasets captured from samples as diverse as bones, explosives, soft tissues, composites and rocks, it is the diversity of addresible scientific questions that continues to drive my keen interest in X-ray imaging today.
The opportunities for bringing X-ray imaging into multi-modal workflows encompassing other imaging techniques is also a big area of interest for me. Whether the question to hand is about exploring samples at different length-scales or with different modalities such as fluorescence and contrast, there are many unexplored possibilities and this is an exciting time for X-ray imaging in general.
Aside from my microscopy interests, I love spending time in the great outdoors, be this tinkering in the garden or hiking with my border collie. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes when out exploring in the elements!
Ria Mitchell
I am a Senior Product Applications Specialist for Thermo Fisher Scientific, having expertise in various visualisation software (Aviza, Amira, PerGeos). I have wide ranging X-ray interests: one aspect is using correlative microscopy/imaging to correlate data across dimensions (2D-3D-4D), scales (centimetres - to - nanometres) and modes (including CT/X-ray Microscopy, FIB-SEM, OM, and SEM). My research interests include the methods by which ancient terrestrial life lived on/within their substrates to promote organism-substrate interactions, weathering, soil development, and biogeochemical cycling. I have employed numerous techniques to better understand these processes: tomography (e.g. 3D/4D imaging), microscopy (e.g. SEM, OM, FIB-SEM), chemistry (e.g. ICP-AES, XRD, SEM-EDS), and combinations of the above through correlative microscopy. I am also interested in palaeontology (palaeobotany), sedimentary geology, and generally all things Earth Science.
Daniel O'Flynn
I am the British Museum’s X-ray Imaging Scientist, with responsibility for running the large-scale X-radiography and CT scanning laboratory located deep underneath the galleries. I study material from across the world and throughout history - to learn about ancient cultures, and their interactions with the world around them. A particular research interest is the application of X-ray CT scanning to ancient organic material and faunal remains. Before working in the cultural heritage sector, I completed a PhD in experimental physics at the University of Warwick and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London.
Julia Parker
Julia is an X-ray microscopist at Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility. Julia is responsible for the operation of the hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline, supporting nanoscale spectroscopy, diffraction and imaging experiments across the life and physical sciences. Julia joined Diamond in 2007 after completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Julia’s current research interests lie in the area of biomineralisation, using synchrotron techniques to unveil details of the structure of calcium carbonates formed by organisms such as shells and studying the crystallisation and formation pathways of calcium carbonates.
Jennifer Pearson-Farr
Jenny is a Senior Laboratory Research Scientist in the Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform at the Francis Crick Institute, led by Lucy Collinson. Her background is in reproductive biology, using a 3D multimodal imaging approach to characterise human uterine cilia phenotypes in health and disease. After completing her PhD and postdoctoral position at the University of Southampton, she moved to the Francis Crick to broaden her knowledge in advanced imaging techniques.
Phil Salmon
Dr Phil Salmon is a member of the life sciences application team at Bruker-microCT in Belgium.
This role involves the development of systems and software for micro-CT imaging-analysis, and user support and training in diverse applications including bone and dental research, marine biology and palaeontology.
His research career began in the radiobiology of bone, then bone mechanobiology and preclinical osteoporosis models, at the Royal Veterinary College, London and at AEA Technology Preclinical Sciences, Harwell, UK.
He received his B.Sc. degree at Southampton University, UK, two M.Sc. degrees from Plymouth Polytechnic and St Andrews University, Scotland, UK, and his Ph.D. at Bristol University, UK.
Scott Young
Scott Young is a PhD researcher at University College London (UCL) who specializes in studying solid-state lithium-ion battery degradation through correlated tomography techniques. He's passionate about designing custom sample apparatuses for high-resolution analysis using X-ray and neutron computed tomography. Scott completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in physics and chemistry at Dalhousie University (Canada), with a research focus in advancing lithium-ion batteries. Inspired by synchrotron facilities and X-ray computed tomography, he and his colleague Francesco run a YouTube channel (XCT Chaps) dedicated to communicating XCT concepts to a wide audience.