Wellcome-MRC in situ Cryo-ET Workshop 2026

Sep 28. till Oct 02.

Wellcome-MRC in situ Cryo-ET Workshop 2026

eBIC (Diamond light source) has partnered with the Astbury Biostructure Lab (University of Leeds), the Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging (University of Glasgow), Midlands Regional Cryo-EM Facility (University of Leicester) and Birkbeck college (University of London) to host training courses between 2021-2026 in cryo-EM. This training program would not be possible without these partners, and is funded by Wellcome and MRC (218785/Z/19/Z).

Date
28/09/20262026-09-28T09:00:00 - 02/10/20262026-10-02T17:00:00
Time
09:00 - 17:00
Location
Hybrid - Diamond Light Source / The Astbury Centre, & online (via zoom)
Link
Apply for an in-person place here

Overview 

This hybrid course is aimed at students, and postdoctoral researchers who plan to use cryo-electron tomography in their structural biology research and have little or no prior hands-on experience.

The course provides a comprehensive introduction to in situ cryo-electron tomography, combining theoretical lectures with hands-on practical training. Participants will gain experience across the complete in-situ cryo-ET workflow, from sample preparation and cryo-grid screening through cryo-FIB milling, lamella preparation and cryo-ET data collection to an introduction to image processing and subtomogram averaging. This knowledge will provide a strong foundation for applying in situ cryo-ET to biological research.

Programme

The course will run over five days in a hybrid format.

Lectures will be broadcast live via Zoom throughout the week and will be open to the wider cryo-EM community. Selected participants will attend the course in person at either Harwell Campus (Diamond Light Source) or the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory (University of Leeds), where they will take part in hands-on practical sessions alongside the lectures.

A detailed programme will be made available in due cours

Day 1: Monday 28th September 2026

  • Lectures covering an introduction to cryo-ET workflows, cellular sample preparation and sample vitrification (in-person and virtual)
  • Demonstration covering sample vitrification (in-person and virtual)
  • Practical covering cryo-ET sample preparation and sample vitrification (in-person only)

Day 2: Tuesday 29th September 2026

  • Lectures covering an overview of tilt series collection and software
  • Demonstration of cryo-ET screening and data collection (in-person and virtual)
  • Practical covering cryo-ET screening and data collection (in-person only)

Day 3: Wednesday 30th September 2026

  • Lectures covering correlative cryo-ET workflows, cryo-FIB-SEM lamella preparation and Soft X-ray Tomography (in-person and virtual)
  • Practicals covering principles of cryo-FIB-SEM set up and introduction to lamella preparation (in-person only)

Day 4: Thursday 1st October 2026

  • Practicals covering principles of cryo-FIB-SEM set up, an introduction to lamella preparation and an introduction to correlative cryo-ET workflows (in-person only)

Day 5: Friday 2nd October 2026

  • Lectures and demonstrations covering cryo-ET image processing and reconstruction (in-person and virtual)
  • Student learning and feedback discussion (in-person only)

How to Apply (in-person spaces)

There are 14 Wellcome-MRC funded spaces available to selected members of the community (8 at Diamond, 6 at the Astbury Centre, Leeds) via an in-person application process. We welcome applications from both the UK and overseas .

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a Master’s student, PhD student, or postdoctoral researcher who is new to the field and plans to use cryo-ET as part of their research. Applications from early-career researchers are also welcome, however, priority will be given to the students and postdoctoral researchers.

  • Have access to cryo-ET instrumentation at their home institution or through a local facility, or have clear plans to secure such access in the near future

Before beginning the application process, please prepare the following documents to upload to the application page:

  • A cover letter describing your background, motivation for applying for the course and how this will benefit your institute and your research.  Please also describe your current role/position, any access routes for instrumentation and your plans for using cryo-ET and FIB lamella preparation (max. 4000 characters)
  • A letter of support from your manager or supervisor (max. 4000 characters)

If successful, you will be asked to formally accept your place. Academic places will be free of charge and include:

  • all meals and refreshments
  • accommodation for the duration of the course will be provided if required

You will need to arrange and pay for your own travel to get to your host institute

  • travel costs up to £400 will be available for participants with limited access to funding (any expenses exceeding these amounts will need to be covered by the participants)

How to Register (for online lectures via Zoom)

To access the lectures online, there is no fee and you do not need to apply but registration is mandatory - please register for online lectures here (registration deadline September 25th)

Key Dates

Applications for in‑person attendance:
30 June 2026 – 19 July 2026

In‑person candidate selection:
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in the week commencing Monday 27 July 2026

Registration for online attendance:
30 June 2026 – 25 September 2026

Contact

For any further information about this workshop, or if you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact [email protected]

Funding Acknowledgments

If your research or publications have benefitted from attending this training event, we kindly ask that you acknowledge this support by citing the Wellcome/MRC cryo‑EM training programme (grant number 218785/Z/19/Z) in any resulting publications.

Slides and Recordings

Where permission has been granted, recordings of lectures will be made available after the course below.

Diamond Light Source

Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

Diamond Light Source Ltd
Diamond House
Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 0DE

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