Helen Zenner

I'm the Community Manager of FocalPlane. Get in contact with me if you have any suggestions or feedback for the site. My background is in membrane trafficking and have applied electron microscopy, confocal microscopy and super-resolution imaging to answer my research questions. During my postdoc in the St Johnston lab, I was introduced to the power of close collaboration between researchers in optical engineering, probe design, end-users and bioimage analysts. I hope that FocalPlane will be a place for all these groups to interact.

Interview with Elisabeth Kugler

Posted by Helen Zenner, on 9 April 2026

Elisabeth Kugler is the founder and director of Zeeks , a science communication and marketing company. Prior to starting Zeeks, Elisabeth trained as a biologist specialising in microscopy and bioimage analysis. I met Elisabeth over Zoom to discuss her career path, how and why she set up her company, her step-by-step approach for tackling new challenges

The Company of Biologist Workshop - Democratising Microscopy in Latin America: Imaging Across Scales and Regions

Posted by Helen Zenner, on 22 December 2025

In October, I was lucky enough to attend The Company of Biologist Workshop – Democratising Microscopy in Latin America: Imaging Across Scales and Regions. The organisers, Constadina Arvanitis, Mario Del Rosario, Helena De la Torre, Mariana De Niz, Maria Fernanda Latorre Barragán and Licyel Lenny Paulas Condori, put together an incredible programme featuring top researchers

An interview with Andrew Porter, Research Integrity and Training Advisor

Posted by Helen Zenner, on 16 June 2025

Andrew Porter is the Research Integrity and Training Advisor at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute within the University of Manchester. Andrew worked for many years as a cell biology research scientist before moving into his role in research integrity. I caught up with Andrew over Zoom to learn more about his career path, what