Current methods in cell biology

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
15:15 – 15:30	Bus from hotel to EMBL ATC Entrance	ISG Hotel
15:30 – 16:00	Registration and Welcome	Seminar room 202
16:00 – 16:30	Welcome, Safety introduction	Seminar room 202
16:30 – 18:00	Flash Talks	Seminar room 202
18:00 – 18:45	Challenges and Expectations	Seminar room 202
18:45 – 19:00	Break	Seminar room 202
19:00 – 20:00	Dinner	Canteen
20:00 – 22:00	Networking with Drinks	ATC Rooftop Lounge
22:00 – 22:15	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus stop

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: title tbd Selman Sakar – EPFL Switzerland	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:15	Coffee break and Meet the speaker	Seminar room 202
10:15 – 11:00	Lecture: Microscopy basics Robert Prevedel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
11:00 – 14:00	Poster session 1 (odd numbers) Lunch and open discussion	Operon Foyer
14:00 – 14:30	Responsible Conduct of Research – Practical 1 Conducted by the respective trainers	Seminar room 202
14:30 – 19:00	Practical 1 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
19:00 – 20:15	Dinner	EMBL Canteen
20:15 – 20:30	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus stop

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: title tbd Simone Köhler – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:15	Coffee break and Meet the speaker	Seminar room 202
10:15 – 11:00	Lecture: Heterogeneity in human skin cells Fiona Watt – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
11:00 – 14:00	Poster session II (even numbers) Lunch and open discussion	Operon Foyer
14:00 – 14:30	Group photo	Outside ATC
14:30 – 19:00	Practical 2 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
19:00 – 20:30	Tapas dinner	ATC Rooftop Lounge
20:30 – 20:45	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus stop

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: Super-resolution microscopy introduction Timo Zimmermann – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:00	Coffee break and Meet the speaker	Seminar room 202
10:00 – 10:45	Lecture: Smart microscopy Olivier Pertz – University of Bern, Switzerland	Seminar room 202
10:45 – 11:30	Meet the speaker and discussion	Seminar room 202
11:30 – 12:15	Lecture: Cell mechanics Alba Diz-Muñoz – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
12:15 – 13:15	Lunch and Networking	EMBL Canteen
13:15 – 13:35	Responsible Conduct of Research – Practical 2 Conducted by the respective trainers	Seminar room 202
13:35 – 18:05	Practical 3 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
18:05 – 19:05	Dinner	EMBL Canteen
19:05 – 19:30	Walk to hotel

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 10:00	Seminar: In situ structural cell biology Ben Engel – Biozentrum Basel, Switzerland	Small Operon
10:00 – 10:30	Meet the Speaker	Small Operon
10:30 – 11:00	Break	Seminar room 202
11:00 – 11:45	Lecture: Phase separation in cell biology Sara Cuylen-Häring – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
11:45 – 12:45	Career lunch	EMBL Canteen
12:45 – 13:45	Seminar Buzz Baum – MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, United Kingdom	Seminar room 202
13:45 – 14:15	Meet the Speaker	Seminar room 202
14:15 – 19:15	Practical 4 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
19:15 – 20:30	Pizza Dinner	ATC Rooftop Lounge
20:30 – 20:45	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus stop

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: Expansion microscopy Niccolò Banterle – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:15	Break	Seminar room 202
10:15 – 11:15	Lecture: Biophysics of molecular sociology Thomas Quail – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
11:15 – 11:45	Break	Seminar room 202
11:45 – 12:30	Seminar: Critical transitions Isabella Graf– EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
12:30 – 13:30	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:30 – 14:15	Responsible Conduct of Research – Practical 3 Conducted by the respective trainers	Seminar room 202
14:15 – 18:45	Practical 5 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus stop
	Dinner and drinks at ISG Hotel	ISG Hotel

Free day

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: Chemical biology tools for cell biology Yamuna Krishnan – University of Chicago, United States of America	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:00	Break
10:00 – 10:45	Lecture: Theory Anna Erzberger – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
10:45 – 11:00	Break
11:00 – 11:45	Seminar: Information processing in cell biology, Marianne Bauer – TU Delft, Netherlands	Small Operon
11:45 – 12:45	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
12:45 – 18:00	Practical 6 (parallel sessions) 1. N. Banterle – Measuring molecular dynamics with High Speed AFM 2. G. Dey – Using expansion microscopy in cell biology 3. A. Diz-Muñoz – Using mechanobiology to shine light on cell shape regulation 4. J. Ellenberg – Advanced methods for chromatin imaging 5. S. Köhler – Simultaneous labelling of DNA, RNA, and proteins preserving chromosome morphology. Is that possible? 6. R. Prevedel – Build your fluorescence microscope (DIY) 7. T. Quail – Visualising stochastic search strategies on DNA 8. Y. Schwab – Volume CLEM unravels the sub-cellular architecture of selected marine unicellular plankton 9. F. Watt – Characterising stem cells from human epidermis 10. T. Zimmermann – Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) applications	Tbd
18:00 – 18:30	Bus to Heidelberg-Wieblingen	EMBL Bus Stop
18:30 – 21:30	Course dinner	Flammkuchenhof Heidelberg
21:30 – 22:00	Departure to ISG Hotel

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 09:45	Lecture: Machine learning for image analysis Anna Kreshuk – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
09:45 – 10:15	Break
10:15 – 11:15	Seminar: Cell Profiler Beth Cimini – Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA	Small Operon
11:15 – 11:45	Meet the speaker	Seminar room 202
11:45 – 12:45	Lunch	EMBL canteen
12:45 – 13:30	Lecture: Correlative light & electron microscopy Yannick Schwab – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
13:30 – 14:15	Responsible Conduct of Research – Practical 4: Image analysis and Theory conducted by the respective trainers
14:15 – 18:45	Practical 7: Image analysis and Theory(parallel sessions): 1. Cell Profiler 2. Image Processing and Analysis with ilastik 3. Mathematical modelling unding random walks	Seminar room 202, CTL, Flexlab
18:45 – 20:00	Dinner	EMBL Canteen
20:00 – 20:15	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus Stop

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40 – 08:55	Bus from ISG hotel to EMBL Bus Stop	ISG Hotel
08:55 – 09:00	Overview of the day	Seminar room 202
09:00 – 10:00	Seminar: Cell mass spectrometry Jesper Olsen – University of Copenhagen, Denmark	Small Operon
10:00 – 11:00	Meet the speaker	Seminar room 202
11:00 – 11:30	Break	Seminar room
11:30 – 12:15	Lecture: Microscopy applied I Jan Ellenberg – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
12:15 – 13:15	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:15 – 14:00	Lecture: Emerging model systems for cell biology Gautam Dey – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Seminar room 202
14:00 – 14:45	Responsible Conduct of Research – Practical 5: Image analysis and Theory Conducted by the respective trainers
14:45 – 19:15	Practical 8: Image analysis and Theory (parallel sessions) 1. Cell Profiler 2. Image Processing & Analysis with ilastik 3. Mathematical modeling using random walks	Seminar room 202, CTL, Flexlab
19:15 – 19:45	Feedback session	Seminar room 202
19:45 – 20:45	Dinner	EMBL Canteen
20:45 – 21:00	Departure to ISG Hotel	EMBL Bus Stop

The course is limited to 30 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration fees

Your registration for the event includes:

• Admission to the event
• Meals and coffee breaks
• Course materials
• Access to the e-learning platform
• A letter to support your visa application (for more information, check the ‘Travel and accommodation’ tab)

For this EMBO course, the fees include accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue

Academia	€550
PhD Student	€550
Industry	€1100

Confirmation and payment

The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course. The results will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.

Cancellation policy

If you are no longer able to take part in the course, please inform your course contact responsible for this event. Your registration and the submitted motivation letter will be deleted.

Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy.

After you have logged in and successfully registered, you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter. Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided. Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering.

Instructions

1. Include your relevant skills, experience and qualifications showing why you would be suitable for the course.
2. Explain why you would like to attend, including what you can contribute and how you think you will benefit from the course.

Please note:

• The limit of 2,000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).
• If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.
• If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

For detailed instructions, please watch our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.

Further details

For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page.

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of  travel grants and childcare grants. 

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel (airfare, train, bus, taxi, and visa) and/or registration fees and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

– up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

– up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare grants

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, trainers and organisers when attending a course. Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter or child-care facility and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds travel grant

This grant covers costs related to your attendance to the course (registration, travel and accommodation costs). The grant is restricted to PhD students and postdocs who conduct basic biomedical research.
Whether you are eligible to apply for a travel grant, depends on when you received your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, A-Levels, High School Diploma, Final State Examination):

– for PhD and MD students, as well as graduates, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 11 years ago at the time of the envisaged course
– for postdocs, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 13 years ago at the time of the envisaged course

EMBO Accessibility Grant

For EMBO Practical Course participants with accessibility needs, there is the possibility to apply for an accessibility grant to offset costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at a course. Eligible costs include costs incurred for equipment or adaptations to the course environment, or travel costs for an event companion to assist the participant or speaker during the course where necessary, etc. While we do our best to accommodate needs, please note that extensive changes to the conference environment might not be possible.

Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers. A maximum amount of €500 can be awarded per participant applying for an EMBO accessibility grant. In order to apply for this grant for EMBO Courses, you must be registered by the application deadline. 

Application

If you are attending virtually, you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline. Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance. Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted. Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined. 

In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work,  answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance, and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

*For some events, applications for Childcare Grants will still be done by email. Information about the grant will be sent out shortly after the abstract/motivation letter deadline. Please contact the event Conference Officer if you have any questions.

Selection

A selection process will take place with the results announced by email to all applicants / submitters. We aim to announce 3 weeks (21 days) after the abstract submission deadline but delays may occur.”

Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Further details

Check out this list of external funding opportunities. 

For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.

Visa

We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure (not an official invitation letter). Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event. Read our FAQ for more information.

Travel

If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car or long-distance bus, you can find useful information on our travel information page.

Accommodation

Accommodation in twin rooms, including breakfast is included in the registration fee. Accommodation will be booked for the selected participants at the ISG Hotel for the default dates of Sunday, 6 September 2026 to Thursday, 17 September 2026 (11 nights).

In case you would like to have a single room, please let the hotel know and please note that you will be required to pay an additional cost of 32€ per night (availability of single rooms may be limited). This should be paid by you directly to the ISG Hotel during your stay.

We recommend that all course participants stay at the ISG Hotel for the course.

Please note that as of 1 October 2025, Heidelberg City Council is introducing an overnight stay tax for tourists visiting Heidelberg (including work related trips). The cost will be 3.50 EUR per night for the first five nights of a consecutive stay and will be added to the hotel’s nightly rate. Please contact the individual hotel directly if you have any questions.

Local transportation

Course shuttle buses

Shuttle buses will go from the ISG Hotel to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings. A bus schedule and location of the bus stops will be made available prior to the meeting.

Other local transportation

In addition to the shuttle busses, there is also the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. For more information, please refer to the local transportation (RNV) website.

You may also walk from the ISG Hotel to EMBL (takes up to 30 minutes)

Map to walk from ISG Hotel to EMBL

Further details

Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

For more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.

Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the Course and Conference Office.

Charging stations

There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium. You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your smartphone/tablet etc.

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances/laptop (i.e. American, Japanese, etc.). A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your print-outs at the registration desk.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference.

Lost and found

‘’Lost and Found’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

EMBL merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing EMBL merchandise (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please email the EMBL shop to place an order.

Kindly note the EMBL shop is only open upon request and all purchases must be made in cash (Euros only).

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Room for prayers, meditation, and yoga

There is a room for prayer, yoga, and meditation, located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

EMBL campus map

Health and safety notes

Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.

• Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
• Eating and drinking is prohibited in the Auditorium and all laboratories.
• Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so.

If first aid is required

• The first aid room is located next to the ATC Registration Desk (room 10- 205).
• Dial the Emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only.
• Be prepared to answer the following questions: Where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
• Emergency number 06221-387 7821 from mobile phones.
• Please report all accidents to the conference officer at the registration desk.

In case of fire

• Press the nearest fire alarm button or the Emergency number 222 from any internal phone.
• A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
• Do not use the lifts.

Beyond first aid

The Heidelberg University Hospital or ‘Universitätsklinikum‘ has a 24 hour accident and emergency facility and is at ‘Im Neuenheimer Feld 672’. It is a 8km or a 20 minute taxi ride away from EMBL. In a medical emergency, the ambulance service generally transports patients to this hospital.

Please remember to bring your own medication, if needed, to the conference. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4-minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you will be required to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg.

The EMBL course and conference office team are able to advise you on where to turn for emergency or non-emergency medical treatment in Heidelberg and can assist you in making appointments and / or arranging transport to get to the pharmacy or a doctor of your choice if necessary. Please note, we are not however permitted to personally accompany you off-campus.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Please find additional information including FAQs and terms and conditions on our Information for Participants page.