Miguel Francisco de Jesus

Postdoctoral Researcher @Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center

I am part of the exciting Vanderbilt BioMIID program (Biomedical Microscopy, Immersion, Innovation, and Discovery) at the Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center, whose major goal is to drive fruitful cross-institutional research collaborations with unique bioimaging challenges. I participate in the design, building, and deployment of \"open hardware\" microscopes and bespoke imaging assays, both of which are tailored to these specific research questions.In addition to these, I participate in microscope R&D projects in the Center.Research highlights- Builds: 2 scanning oblique plane single-objective light-sheet microscopes, 1 high-speed widefield fluorescence microscope, 1 near-infrared microscope, 1 deep-uv autofluorescence microscope- Developed methods to longitudinally image intact leaves and roots in growing plants using advanced light-sheet microscopy- Assembled a fluorescent specimen library for light-sheet performance benchmarking: hydrogel microspheres, flower pollen, Physarum (slime molds), neuron culture, etc- Applications: performed pilot experiments for at least 5 independent projects under the Vanderbilt Visitor\'s Imaging Program, including nanoparticle characterization, hepatocyte transfections (CRISPr-on), and light-sheet imaging of various live (unfixed) tissues- Daily management of the facility, data flow, and user training