Democratising Microscopy in Latin America: Imaging Across Scales and Regions
Organisers: Constadina Arvanitis, Mario Del Rosario, Helena De la Torre, Mariana De Niz, Maria Fernanda Latorre Barragán and Licyel Lenny Paulas Condori
Date: 12 - 15 October 2025
Location: Samari Spa Resort in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador
Microscopy is a multidisciplinary field that enables us to observe and understand the otherwise invisible small world around us. It has important applications in biology, medicine, ecology, chemistry, materials science, agriculture and the food industry, and many other disciplines. At the same time, microscopy benefits from knowledge in physics, electronics, mathematics, chemistry and biology itself.
Microscopy has played a central role in allowing us to address a plethora of questions in the micro-world highly relevant to One Health in the Global South. One Health recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, ecosystems, and the environment, are intertwined. Some of the main applications of microscopy in this context include understanding mechanisms governing non-communicable diseases across scales, the diagnosis and monitoring of existing and emerging infectious diseases, the in-depth study of entomology and the relevance of insects for health and disease, mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, the study of plant biology and the effects of pollutants in soil and water, the link between the biology of bees, pollination and food security, the effect of microorganisms in whole ecosystem biodiversity, and many others.
Latin America and the Caribbean represent a key world region for planetary health, with large areas that are vital for climate change mitigation efforts, and biodiversity preservation. Despite its importance, and the enormous efforts of researchers in the region, progress in terms of research and technology is oftentimes limited due to varied challenges that can impact investment in infrastructure and capacity-building. Given the high costs of high-end microscopy technologies, efforts to democratise access have been underway in many countries in the region. Further cohesion and collaboration at a regional and international level is still necessary to guarantee equal access.
Through this workshop we aim to enable early-career researchers from the Global South to network with scientists from around the globe, exchange ideas on microscopy technology and applications, become familiar with open hardware and software projects that can be adapted to the various regions, and to discuss approaches for future microscopy-based research with leading experts in the field.
In this workshop we seek to foster collaborations between early-career researchers with vast expertise in multiple fields of science, and world experts in the field of microscopy and image analysis for bidirectional capacity strengthening, and global participation in a way that is inclusive of perspectives of Latin America and the Global South.
We will focus on the following topics:
- Microscopy in Latin America, focusing on examples of lightsheet, FLIM, cryo-EM, and AFM
- Open Hardware for affordable microscopy
- Open Software for affordable and accessible image analysis
- Outreach, dissemination, and open science initiatives in microscopy
- The value of applied microscopy to solve local questions and advance local research. This will include infectious diseases, agriculture, ecology and developmental biology
- The value of microscopy in education
- Opportunities for Global South researchers in microscopy
- Resources and networks to support Global South researchers
Organisers & speakers
Constadina Arvanitis Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA
Mario Del Rosario ITQB Nova, Portugal
Helena De la Torre Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ecuador
Mariana De Niz Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA
María Fernanda Latorre Barragán Universidad Regional Autónoma de los Andes, Ecuador
Licyel Lenny Paulas Condori Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, UK
Federico Brown Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Santiago Casado Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ecuador
Teng-Leong Chew HHMI Janelia, USA
Benedict Diedrich Open Instrumentation Group, Leibniz-IPHT Jena, Germany
Estibaliz Gómez-de-Mariscal Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencias, Portugal
Hernán E. Grecco Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Adán Guerrero Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM, Mexico
Ricardo Henriques ITQB Nova, Portugal
Anna Kreshuk EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Federico Lecumberry Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Lucía López Centro de Investigaciones en Bionanociencias (CIBION), Argentina
Kildare Miranda Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Iván Rey Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
Aníbal Vargas Ríos Center of Integrative Biology, Universidad Mayor, Chile
Andrés Romero-Carvajal Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Ecuador
Tobias Wenzel Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Flavio Zolessi Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay
Early-career researchers
We offer 20 funded places for early-career researchers from the Global South* to attend our Workshops alongside our invited speakers. We define early-career researchers (ECRs) as anyone from Masters students to Principal Investigators who have completed their PhD in the last 7 years, although there may be flexibility in some cases. If you would like to attend, please complete the online application form and include a one-page CV as well as a letter of support from your host (postdocs) or a head of school/head of lab/senior staff member if you are no longer a postdoc. Letters of support can be sent to us directly by the author if preferred. Please send them to workshops@biologists.com.
All attendees are expected to actively contribute to the Workshops by asking questions at presentation sessions and taking part in discussions, as well as giving a short talk about their research. Please be aware the language in this workshop will be English.
At some Workshops, early-career researchers are given additional responsibilities to promote their involvement, such as:
-
- Summarising the previous day’s themes to set the scene for the next day’s sessions
- Proposing future directions and collaborations
- Making a short, two-minute video about their experience at the Workshop
Most of these activities would be carried out in pairs or small groups and often with the support of more senior scientists present.
N.B. We are accepting applications from Global South ECRs only for this Workshop.
Accommodation, food and Workshop costs will be covered for all attendees.
Travel grants
As part of our commitment to supporting researchers in Global South regions, we will be providing travel grants to successful early-career researchers. Travel grant details:
-
- Applicant must be based in a Global South Country
- We require a supporting statement detailing why funding is required
- Maximum £700 per person
As our Workshop is to support local scientific research, applications from Ecuador and South America will be given priority during selections.
* www.fc-ssc.org/en/partnership_program/south_south_countries
This is a list of countries with low-income or middle-income economies. The list is defined by the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation. Since 2017, FCSSC has been in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations.
Application deadline: Friday 14 February 2025
About Samari Spa Resort in Baños de Agua Santa
Samari Spa Resort is a 4 hectare ranch with beautiful gardens and 300 years of history. It formerly belonged to the Jesuit community and is located in the safe area of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador.
Featuring a garden, a heated pool and a sauna, Samari Spa Resort is set in a charming colonial-style house with an inner patio. It features rooms with free Wi-Fi and is under 2 km from the centre of Baños.
Nestled in central Ecuador, the town of Baños is appropriately named for its dozens of waterfalls, hot springs, and surrounding rivers. It is a naturally beautiful town with a population of less than 20,000, a pleasant climate year-round, and an ancient affinity for miracles. The town’s full name is Baños de Agua Santa, or “Baths of Sacred Water.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.