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Enabling Structural Cell Biology at UCSF via a CryoEM Tomography Center


Award Imaging Scientist

Funding Cycle Cycle 2

Investigator

Garrett Greenan, PhD

University of California, San Francisco (Center for Advanced CryoEM)

Bio

Dr. Greenan is a cell biologist with extensive expertise in microscopy, image acquisition, and analysis software, and the management of complex, biological datasets. His graduate and postdoctoral studies focused on the biology of centrioles and cilia, combining light microscopy and electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) to study their form and formation. Dr. Greenan is currently assistant director in the Center for Advanced CryoEM at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with responsibility for cellular cryotomography. In that role he has helped establish cryo-FIB-SEM, greatly expanding UCSF’s capability to perform structural biology on whole cells.

Project Description

Dr. Greenan facilitates structural cell biology using recently acquired cryoFIB-SEM technology. CryoFIB-SEM is a state-of-the-art technique that allows researchers to generate windows into cells, through which proteins, complexes, and organelles can be imaged in their native, cellular environment. In addition, the research core supports correlative microscopy, combining light and electron microscopy to meet the experimental needs of the research community at UCSF. A major part of Dr. Greenan’s effort is to teach and mentor trainees, enabling them to address their biological questions and guiding them to independence. As part of this teaching role, he is also developing short, intensive courses to immerse trainees in correlative microscopy, exposing them to cutting-edge techniques and stimulating new avenues of research.