Thomas is currently working to develop a cryo-super-resolution microscope, using solid immersion lenses, to enable STORM imaging of cryogenically frozen samples. The microscope is being developed as part of a workflow to provide Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-CLEM). This technique will bring together the benefits of the unmatched structural preservation of cryo-fixation, the chemical and functional selectivity of fluorescence microscopy, and the high-resolution structural information provided by transmission electron microscopy to provide researchers with unprecedented insight into the structure-function relationship of proteins in cell membranes.
Thomas Dzelzainis
Senior Scientist
Thomas studied Physics as an undergraduate at Imperial College London, and went on to do a PhD and subsequent post-docs in Laser-Plasma Interactions at Queen’s University Belfast. During this time, he was a frequent user of the CLF’s high power laser (HPL) facilities. After a short time working in industry, he took a position in the University of Toronto working on a project developing surgical methods using burst-mode laser ablation, which sparked his interest in the application of lasers to biological research. He returned to the UK in 2019 and joined the CLF HPL division as a link scientist on the Astra-Gemini laser system. He took the opportunity to move to the Octopus group in 2023 to pursue his growing interest in the biological applications of light.