Advent calendar - December 16th - Thomas Burgers

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, and technicians of our research groups - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 16 meet Thomas Burgers.

I am working as a PhD student in the lab of Rifka Vlijm (Molecular Biophysics), where we focus on studying protein structures in the cell with a particular type of microscopy. This microscopy form, called Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) nanoscopy, allows us to image beyond the physical imposed diffraction limit (~200nm), typically achieving at least a five-fold increase in resolution (30-40nm).

My PhD focuses on live-cell imaging with STED (30-40nm resolution) on essential protein structures that orchestrate cell division. Studying the dynamics and the role of these protein structures in the cell could lead to a better understanding of some of the many diseases generated by cell division dysfunction. Additionally, this knowledge can help in the development of therapies for these diseases.

Contact: Thomas Burgers