Personal statement

The ability to image biological systems at the sub-cellular scale and link them to larger scale processes across tissues and whole organisms is a key driving technology for biological research. As such, even 400 years after the invention of the compound microscope, there is a continuous need for new ways to image the processes of life. In the nanobiophotonics group we approach the development of new microscopic imaging techniques in 3 related themes: High-end systems that incorporate the latest developments in imaging technologies. Super-resolution imaging that allows us to view things smaller than the classical limits for microscopy, adaptive optics to correct for the distortions that are inevitable when looking through complex samples, and combining multiple techniques in single microscopes are all core approaches for us. The above techniques can be expensive or require very specialised equipment to implement. But what if there is a benefit from a new microscopy technology even if it's not running at the full state of the art performance? In my research I look for "sufficient cost" approaches - given a specific biological research question, what do you actually need in order to get the data needed for an answer? We've demonstrated low-cost quantum sensing for biological systems, 3-d printed modular microscopes and simple vector magnetometers all built using the expertise developed on our high-performance microscopes. Finally, we use optically active defects in diamond - small impurities in the diamond that emit light as a key part of our research. In particular, we are interested in the Nitrogen-Vacancy defect that emits red light when excited with green light. Embedded in nanoscopic particles of diamond, it can allow us to image sub-cellular structures when the nanodiamond enters cells. More excitingly, the emission properties change according the the local environment in a way that allows it to act as a sensor for many biological processes.