Mariana De Niz

My name is Mariana De Niz and I’ve dedicated most of my research career to the study of infectious diseases and host-pathogen interactions. Microscopy has been a pivotal tool for my work, and it’s something I enjoy enormously. It’s a discipline that evolves so quickly: there’s so much to learn every day, both in microscopy itself, and in image analysis - and all the possibilities that together, they bring. I was lucky to do my PhD in a lab which was at the forefront of microscopy, and have continued to develop my skills in this area ever since. As a science communicator, I have focused most of my energies to the field of microscopy too, both during my participation in preLights, and FocalPlane. In the latter, together with the enormous support of the Latin American microscopy community, we have been highlighting the work of scientists from each country in the region, in a project that will have its first completion in 2025. I applied to become a FocalPlane correspondent because I admire the mission of FocalPlane in terms of democratising microscopy through its various initiatives (outreach, science communication, blogs, etc). My goal is to contribute 12 pieces during this year, among them covering topics such as a) frugal microscopy and its impact in society, b) the impact of various microscopy-targeted funding schemes in developing countries - specifically in Latin America and Africa, c) the impact of organisations bringing together microscopy communities around the world, d) specific initiatives that aim to bring the vanguard microscopy techniques to everyone, e) image analysis: the future, f) the role of imaging in the context of infectious diseases - a historical and public health perspective.

An interview with Nelson Barrera

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 20 December 2022

MiniBio: Dr. Nelson Barrera is an Associate Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where his group combines ‘omics’ technologies and microscopy to study various aspects of membrane protein biology, structural biology, biophysics, and biochemistry. He is also a committee member of the Advanced Microscopy Unit, as well as the Mass Spectroscopy Unit. Nelson studied

An interview with Andrés Hugo Rossi

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 6 December 2022

MiniBio: Dr. Andrés Hugo Rossi is the Imaging, Microscopy and Cytometry Core Facility Manager at the Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires. During the COVID-19 pandemic he spearheaded the creation of the Laboratory of Serology and Vaccines at the same institute. Andrés began his career in 1997 as a chemical technician in the pharmaceutical industry. Later,

An interview with Luis Felipe Barros

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 22 November 2022

MiniBio: Dr. Felipe Barros is currently a group leader at the Center for Scientific Studies CECs and Professor at Universidad San Sebastián, in Valdivia, Chile, where him and his group study the flux of energy within cells in the context of metabolism, using and developing novel methods of fluorescence microscopy. Felipe obtained his MD and