Microscopist and Imaging Specialist

Offer Description
The Champalimaud Foundation (Fundacao D. Anna de Sommer Champalimaud e Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud), a private, non-profit biomedical research and clinical institution in Lisbon, Portugal, is seeking a Light Microscopy Imaging Specialist to join the Advanced BioImaging and BioOptics Experimental (ABBE) Platform within Champalimaud Research.
The ABBE Platform is a highly active scientific imaging platform supporting fundamental, translational and technology-development projects across neuroscience, cancer research and other areas of life science. The facility currently provides access to 10 advanced imaging systems, supports approximately 170 users per year and records more than 20,000 booked instrument hours annually. ABBE is actively engaged with the Portuguese Platform of BioImaging (PPBI), Euro-BioImaging and Global BioImaging.
The platform combines open-access infrastructure with expert scientific consultation, hands-on training, quality-controlled instrumentation, image analysis support and technology development.
We are looking for a highly motivated, collaborative and service-oriented PhD-level specialist who will work as part of the ABBE team. The successful candidate will support users from initial experimental planning through image acquisition and first-line analysis, with particular emphasis on confocal and super-resolution microscopy, deep-tissue imaging, light-sheet microscopy and quantitative image analysis. The role is designed for a scientist who enjoys enabling the work of others while remaining scientifically engaged with challenging imaging questions and new technology.

Main Responsibilities
- Provide scientific consultation for a broad range of imaging projects, helping users translate biological questions into robust microscopy strategies, including appropriate controls, acquisition parameters and sample-preparation requirements.
- Train users in basic and advanced light microscopy, with the objective of developing independent, critical and responsible microscope users. Training will include one-to-one sessions as well as structured courses and workshops.
- Provide expert support in confocal microscopy, super-resolution imaging, deep-tissue microscopy, light-sheet microscopy, widefield imaging and automated slide scanning, depending on experience and project needs.
- Support imaging of both living and fixed samples, including small model organisms and large cleared specimens, and advise on experimental constraints such as phototoxicity, sampling, optical aberrations and refractive-index mismatching.
- Provide first-line support for image visualization, 3D reconstruction, quantification and analysis using open-source and commercial software. ABBE currently offers IMARIS CF, Arivis and Aivia, in addition to community tools such as Fiji/ImageJ and related open-source solutions.
- Perform routine system performance checks, quality control, preventive maintenance and troubleshooting; document instrument performance and coordinate with manufacturers/service engineers when intervention is required.
- Contribute to the implementation, validation and optimization of new imaging technologies, workflows and applications, including integration of new hardware and software into the platform.
- Contribute to ABBE microscopy and image-analysis courses, workshops, user documentation, standard operating procedures and internal knowledge sharing.
- Coordinate with other institutional platforms when projects require integrated workflows, for example pathology/histology, model-organism facilities, scientific software, hardware development, IT or sample-preparation services.
- Support external-access and collaborative projects associated with national and European research- infrastructure activities, as appropriate to the role and platform priorities.
- Scientific contribution beyond the core service mission is encouraged. When compatible with service priorities, the specialist may contribute to technology-development projects, collaborative research with internal or external groups, and academia-industry activities. Contributions that meet standard scientific authorship criteria will be recognized accordingly.