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 Leslie Tejeda

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 21 February 2023

MiniBio: Dr. Leslie Tejeda is a profesor and part-time researcher at Universidad Mayor de San Andres, in La Paz, Bolivia. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry in Bolivia, and was later awarded a fellowship under the ASDI program which promotes international collaboration for sustainable development (ASDI), to go to Sweden to do her PhD. She

Latin American Women in Microscopy: special issue for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 11 February 2023

The FocalPlane blog of interviews to Latin American scientists who specialize in microscopy was “born” with various aims in mind. One of the main aims is to shed light into the people behind the microscope –scientists from Latin America – their life and career paths, their contributions to science, and their expectations and hopes for

An interview with Horacio Legal

Posted by Mariana De Niz, on 31 January 2023

MiniBio: Prof. Horacio Legal is a group leader in the area of Image Analysis at Universidad Nacional de Asuncion in Paraguay. He is also the co-founder of the postgraduate program in the area of Computer Science at this university. Horacio completed his Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering at the Universidade Federal do Paraná, in Brazil in