Edit

EMBL Event

EMBL Imaging Centre Symposium

Event overview

The EMBL Imaging Centre Symposium will take place on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October 2026, at EMBL Heidelberg, Germany, and will bring together our imaging community.

The symposium is covering a broad range of imaging technologies from cryo-electron and super-resolution microscopy to organismal and intravital imaging.

Invited speakers come from our user base to present the latest results from their research, and imaging expert speakers are selected from our renowned Projects Evaluation Committee (PEC). We aim to stimulate the exchange of experience among users and strengthen collaborations and interactions within the imaging community in general.

In addition, the symposium will feature dedicated industry workshops, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with leading technology providers, discover the latest innovations, and gain hands-on insights into cutting-edge imaging solutions.

Besides the invited speakers, all participants are welcome to present their research during the poster or short-talk sessions. The meeting will be rounded out with a discussion and feedback session.

Programme

Day 1 – Tuesday 13th October 2026
Time
(Europe/Berlin)		SpeakerLocation
10:00 – 12:00Registration and light refreshmentsEMBL Imaging Centre 
registration desk
10:30 – 11:30Industry workshop – ThermoFisher Scientific (pre-registration required)
Title: Thermo Fisher Scientific Plasma FIB Solutions for Multiscale Life Science Workflows.
Featured talk by Meltem Sezen Ozkoc
12:00 – 12:10Opening remarksEMBL IC Lecture Hall
12:10 – 12:40Expert Talk: Paolo Bianchini – Talk TBC
12:40 – 13:00Flaviana di Lorenzo – Shedding structured light on “silent” lipopolysaccharides of gut microbiota: from chemistry to the super-resolution of the immune response.
13:00 – 13:20Murat Sunbul – Engineering fluorescent RNAs for multiplexed imaging with fluorescence lifetime microscopy.
13:20 – 13:55Coffee Break
13:55 – 14:15Maria Macias – Structural Insights into Myhre Syndrome. (Virtual)
14:15 – 14:35Roberto Marotta – High-resolution structures of inhibited GAPDH oligomers and full-length human RAD52: From plant metabolism to human homologous recombination.
14:35 – 14:45Short Talk 1
14:45 – 14:55Short Talk 2
14:55 – 15:05Short Talk 3
15:05 – 15:20Group PhotoEMBL IC Atrium or outside
15:20 – 15:55Coffee BreakEMBL IC kitchenette
15:55 – 16:15Matthias Schmidt – Structural analysis of systemic amyloid fibrils
16:15 – 16:45Expert Talk: Bettina Böttcher – Talk TBC
16:45 – 17:45Panel discussion
17:45 – 18:45Conference dinnerEMBL Canteen
18:45 – 20:30Poster session / Sponsor booths
Wine, dessert and cheese 		EMBL IC Atrium
Day 2 – Wednesday 14th October 2026
Time
(Europe/Berlin)		SpeakerLocation
09:00 – 10:00Industry workshop – Abberior Instruments (pre-registration required)
Title: MINFLUX Imaging and Tracking on the Nanoscale
Featured talk by Nickels Jensen
10:00 – 10:30Expert Talk: Gregor Weiss – Imaging bacterial pathogens across scale – from lipids to a collective architecture.EMBL IC Lecture Hall
10:30 – 10:40Short Talk 4
10:40 – 10:50Short Talk 5
10:50 – 11:20Coffee Break EMBL IC kitchenette
11:20 – 11:40Juha Huiskonen – In situ Structure of the Human Gap Junction.
EMBL IC Lecture Hall
11:40 – 12:00Jacomine Krijnse Locker – Talk TBC
12:00 – 12:20Oriol Gallego – The dynamic architecture of vesicle tethering in exocytosis.
12:20 – 12:40Kristina Lippmann – Ultrastructural correlates of high synaptic vesicle release probability in cryoET.
12:40 – 13:00Juan Carlos De la Concepcion- Dissecting the mechanisms of crop infection by fungal pathogens using cryogenic electron tomography.
13:00 – 13:50Conference lunch EMBL Canteen
13:50 – 14:00Short Talk 6EMBL IC Lecture Hall
14:00 – 14:10Short Talk 7
14:10 – 14:20Short Talk 8
14:20 – 14:50Expert Talk: Lothar Schermelleh – Talk TBC
14:50 – 15:00Concluding Remarks
15:00 – 16:00 Industry workshop – Tescan (pre-registration required)
Title: Bridging the Gap Between Cells and Molecules: Advancing plasma FIB technology for in situ structural biology 
Featured talk by Jana Šmídová, Tescan
Featured talk by Julia Mahamid, EMBL
16:00 – 18:00Live instrument demonstrations
Further details will be announced

Speakers

Imaging Expert Speakers

Industry Workshops

Sponsors

The EMBL Imaging Centre training activities are generously supported by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation.

Practical info

Registration Fees and Abstract Submission

Registration is for free. Places are limited.

Abstract submission deadline is 1st September 2026.  

Accommodation

Accommodation is not included.

As a guide we have included a list of hotels you may want to consider should you require overnight accommodation:

Hotel AnlageHotel ibis HeidelbergPremier Inn Heidelberg City
Hotel Bayrischer Hof ISG Hotel  – nearest hotel to the EMBL CampusStaycity Aparthotel Heidelberg
B&B HotelLeonardo Hotel Heidelberg City CentreSteffi’s Hostel Heidelberg
Exzellenz Hotel & Boarding HouseMeininger HeidelbergHotel Vier Jahreszeiten Heidelberg
Hotel Holländer Hof Hotel Monpti
Onsite Information

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included. Our catering staff will prepare a wide 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.

Health and safety notes

Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
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.
  • 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…

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.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available onsite. The eduroam network (secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Photography

During the conference an EMBL Photographer may be taking photographs. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the organisation team.

Travel to and from the venue

There is the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. More detailed information on travelling to EMBL can be found on our Travel Information page.

Address: EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. For further information on getting to EMBL Heidelberg visit Public Transportation to the Venue. For information about accommodation and local transportation please refer to the FAQ page.

Date: 13 - 14 Oct 2026

Location: EMBL Heidelberg

Time: 10:00

Venue: EMBL Imaging Centre

Deadline(s):

Abstract submission: 1 Sep 2026

Registration: 15 Sep 2026

Organisers:

Edit