eBIC  Welcomes New Leader in Advanced Microscopy Research

Professor Peijun Zhang has been appointed by Diamond Light Source as inaugural director to oversee the growth of its new centre for electron bioimaging (eBIC), which will provide research facilities for investigations into the structures of proteins and protein complexes, viruses and other pathogens, as well as individual cells.

Commenting on her appointment, Peijun said: “eBIC is a vital resource for the international science community and I anticipate seeing a real range of discoveries coming out of this centre in the years to come. I will position this centre as one of the leading cryo-EM facilities in the world. We have state-of-the-art technology and we’re fully prepared to push the field of structural biology forward. I’m delighted to join the team behind this exciting project and I’m confident that we can drive the science and technology development that will make eBIC a real hub for electron bio-imaging.”

With a PhD from the University of Virginia, Prof Zhang worked with the National Institute of Health, before becoming Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh in 2002.

A specialist in human pathogens, including HIV and bacterial infection, exploiting cryo-EM to study large protein complexes and macromolecular assemblies, Peijun is interested in combining structural information from cryo-EM with biochemical and physiological analysis and computational modelling to create a broader understanding of the molecular machinery behind protein complexes.

Currently housing two high-end Krios cryo-electron microscopes, with two further microscopes  planned for installation, eBIC will also provide training courses for structural and cell biologists and remain cutting edge though strong, in-house research.

Professor Dave Stuart, Director of Life Sciences at Diamond Light Source, said: “Most individual departments don’t have access to instruments like those available at eBIC, so it’s a really important tool for the UK science community. What’s more, the centralisation of these instruments near the UK synchrotron generates a real synergy between the different techniques on offer at Diamond.

Ultimately, eBIC represents a unique combination of scientific infrastructure on the world stage: synchrotron science and electron microscopy in one place. That’s something very special.”