Merrick Strotton

Principal Scientist @UCB

Slough, GB

High-plex imaging scientist in the Immunology histology group at UCB, with a wider bioimage analyst role for all histology platforms and image data types. As a high-plex imaging subject matter expert, I help project leaders determine the correct imaging platform to answer their key questions. Where this involves high-plex imaging with imaging mass cytometry, I support experiment design, execution and analysis – work I have streamlined with lab management systems to standardise sample and reagent metadata recording. This facilitates efficient image pre-processing with semi-automated python pipelines that I have established at UCB. As a bioimage analyst in a histology group, I perform analysis of high-plex imaging data, as well as digital pathology data from chromogenic and fluorescent whole slide image platforms. Workflows routinely involve data quality control, region masking, single-cell segmentation, marker quantification and normalisation, before downstream single-cell spatial analysis (from cell number per region, to spatial statistics such as neighbourhood analysis). To facilitate good collaboration with users, I have established GPU accelerated python based pipelines for heavy lifting, which work closely with open-source GUI software that users can more easily interact with (e.g. Ilastik, Qupath, Cellprofiler). This helps to work collaboratively to combine user pathology expertise with computational approaches. It is also a good stepping stone to training and raising the data literacy of colleagues. Besides my day-to-day, I keep up to date with the image analysis community online (through git and image.sc) as well as through my recent role as a member of the ‘Data Analysis in Microscopy’ working group at the Royal Microscopy Society.

Vlerick Business School

Digital Business Transformation Programme 2023

University of Bath

Bachelor’s Degree, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Colfe's School

High School, Biology, Geography, Chemistry, Maths

King's College London

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Neuroscience

King's College London

Master’s Degree, Translational Medicine