Cellular Dynamics
This macrophage (green) is trying to eat beads (white) as part of a study on phagocytosis.
See: doi:10.1091/mbc.E22-06-0210.
Rachel M. Lee, PhD
Processing, visualizing, and analyzing images
to extract meaningful biological insight.
Microscopy has the unique power to create stunning visuals and provide quantitative insight into biological processes. Harnessing that power requires carefully considered experimental design and expertise in image analysis. In my role as the BioImage Analysis Lead at the Advanced Imaging Center, I work with researchers in a wide variety of biological fields to develop informative experiments, process raw microscopy data into functional images, create impactful visualizations, and extract hypothesis-driven results from their images.
Research & Experience
My educational background in engineering and physics gives me the perspective and skills to quantitatively analyze complex biological systems. My experience collaborating with biological researchers and clinicians has taught me the importance of cross-disciplinary teams in tackling bioscience questions. I am always excited to learn about a new topic through the lens of a microscope.
Microscopy Gallery
Simply looking at microscopy images can reveal new insights or prompt new research questions. I have experience creating microscopy visualizations using a variety of tools, including FIJI/ImageJ, Blender, AGAVE, Imaris, and ChimeraX.
Light Sheet Microscopy
Light sheet microscopy gently images samples, such as nuclei (green) and membranes (purple) in this fly embryo. See: doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.017
Expansion Microscopy
Expansion microscopy makes samples bigger so that we can image smaller details, like these muscle fibers in a zebrafish embryo. Data from IALS2024.
Contact Me
If you are interested in applying to use pre-commercial microscopes, reach out to the team at the Advanced Imaging Center at Janelia Research Campus. The team, including myself, provides free technical consultations to those interested in our systems.
I can also be found on a variety of research and social media platforms, linked below.