AtoB: Connecting novel microscopy methods to the science of the future

Analyses of the history and future of science often state that the 20th century was the era of physics, while the 21st century will be dominated by biology and life sciences. The covid crisis demonstrated the impact of physics and life sciences on our lives very clearly, with vaccines developed in record time. The first step in that process was to fully image the structure of the corona virus using electron microscopy and other physics-based imaging techniques.

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for “live” dynamic imaging with nanometer-scale resolution. A number of electron-based imaging techniques have been recently proposed or realized, that aim at precisely these capabilities and that might enable ground-breaking research and exciting discoveries. In the 21st century, life sciences will surely thrive based on developments in physics, and specifically in physics instrumentation. Moreover, chemistry related to the energy transition, e.g. in catalysis and electrochemistry, can also profit enormously from new methods for imaging dynamic processes.

This workshop will bring together those who develop new technologies and those who use cutting-edge technology for posing new scientific questions. The first group are the “developers” of new time-resolved imaging techniques from the physics and engineering community. The second group are (potential) “expert users” of such techniques from both the life sciences and the physics/chemistry community.

During the workshop the latest technology developments will be showcased to potential expert users. Conversely, the intricacies of specific topics in the life sciences and physics/chemistry will be exposed to developers. The aim is to get a clear picture of the needs that should be addressed in the near future, and create a road map for further developments that will expand the capabilities of dynamic electron imaging.