The UW-Madison Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging (CQCI) in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) recently hosted some of the nation’s brightest young imaging scientists at an intensive workshop dedicated to advanced microscopy and professional development. Designed to expand and strengthen the scientific imaging workforce, the Partnering to Advance Imaging Research (PAIR-UP) program provided early-career researchers with hands-on experience with state-of-the-art microscopes, quantitative image analysis tools, and mentorship.
The PAIR-UP program is supported by major philanthropic organizations, including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This PAIR-UP workshop focused on hands-on activities, advanced learning, and robust community building for the participants.
Assistant UW Cell and Regenerative Biology (CRB) Professor and CQCI faculty member Abhishek Kumar played a central role in organizing this event, in collaboration with CQCI Director, Morgridge Investigator and Professor of Medical Physics Kevin Eliceiri and Randy Bartels (Morgridge Institute for Research and Professor of Biomedical Engineering).
Reflecting on the program, Kumar said “Each year, PAIR-UP brings together a group of highly motivated, early-career imaging scientists to spend a week deeply focused on microscope design, image acquisition and analysis, and professional development. This year, 19 scientists from across the country came to UW-Madison, and they returned to their home institutions with new skills, a deeper understanding of microscopy, and ideas they can immediately apply to their research.” The weeklong program was held primarily in the lab space of Kumar and Eliceiri and involved a number of other labs and facilities from across UW-Madison.
Professor Kevin Eliceiri commented, “Imaging training events such as this PAIR-UP workshop are central to the mission of CQCI. We are deeply committed to training the next generation of imaging scientists. The best way to do this is by hands-on optical training and interactive sessions such as what Dr. Kumar organized for PAIR-UP.”
One of the PAIR-UP founders, Professor George Langford (Syracuse University) joined the week-long program. He said, “UW-Madison and CQCI are a perfect match for the PAIR-UP workshop. The experience was just as we intended when envisioning the program. The early career scientists benefitted from the amazing technical expertise, instrumentation, and mentorship offered by the UW faculty and staff, as well as the beauty of the lake and the campus.”
He went on to share several comments that attendees expressed to him. They said:
“The workshop exceeded my expectations.”
“I gained more knowledge than I could have imagined.”
“The laboratory rotations and networking opportunities were invaluable.”
“The instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and willing to share their expertise.”
“I left the boot camp with new skills, greater confidence in microscopy, and a strong network of collaborators.”
Throughout the program, CQCI and other UW-Madison faculty and staff guided participants through an intensive curriculum that bridged the gap between fundamental physics and complex biological applications. Training sessions covered essential topics in optics, fluorescence, and video microscopy, before diving into training in confocal microscopy, light-sheet microscopes, and cutting-edge technologies for imaging single or live cells. The instructional team focused on teaching participants how to match the optimal imaging system to research questions, with a goal of equipping attendees with take on challenging scientific problems using microscopy techniques.
Several other UW imaging labs also hosted participants for real world demonstrations of advanced imaging technologies and discussion of how attendees could use these techniques in their own research. Some of the uses were methods to evaluate microscopic markers of cancer prognosis, investigate intercellular tight junctions in organoids, image mouse brain tissues for neuroscience applications, and improve signal-to-noise ratios in total internal reflection microscopy.
The week-long workshop concluded with a keynote lecture by New York University professor André Fenton. Prof. Fenton spoke about his laboratory’s use of biological imaging to understand cognition and memory. He also encouraged workshop attendees to maintain the relationships that they built over the PAIR-UP workshop.
Fenton said, “PAIR-UP is a special program because it creates meaningful connections between people. Workshop attendees don’t just grow their knowledge of cutting-edge imaging; they grow their collaborative networks and they learn to recognize more of their opportunities. The connections made at PAIR-UP workshops boost confidence, scientific creativity, and drive the science forward.”
Prof. Randy Bartels commented on the value of hosting workshops like this one at UW-Madison. He said, “My primary motivation is to improve lives by solving real-world problems for the public good, which is exactly what we achieved at the PAIR-UP workshop. Our organizing team, Professors Kumar, Eliceiri, and Bartels, focused entirely on the practical applications of microscopy. By welcoming scientists from diverse backgrounds and training levels, we provided clear instruction and hands-on access to advanced optical microscopes, pairing cutting-edge methods with practical advice on their application. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting the PAIR-UP participants at UW–Madison. It is an exceptional program that fosters community, expands access to world-class technology, and empowers the next generation of researchers, and I look forward to hosting future workshops to share our collaborative spirit with early-career scientists.”
PAIR-UP workshops occur annually during the summer months. People interested in applying to a future workshop can learn more at the PAIR-UP website.