Wellcome-MRC Cryo-EM in Structural Biology 2026

Mar 02. till Mar 06.

Wellcome-MRC Cryo-EM in Structural Biology 2026

Cryo-EM in Structural Biology 2026 is part of the Wellcome/MRC-funded cryo-EM training programme. The course is aimed at students, and postdoctoral researchers who plan to use cryo-electron microscopy in their structural biology research and have little or no prior hands-on experience.

Date
02/03/20262026-03-02T09:00:00 - 06/03/20262026-03-06T17:10:00
Time
09:00 - 17:10
Location
In-person (UK sites) and online.

This course will provide fundamental lectures and practical demonstrations in cryo-EM, from sample preparation and the electron microscope, through to image formation and processing, reconstruction in SPA and cryo-ET, and model building.

This is a hybrid event targeted primarily at PhD students and postdocs. Lectures take place remotely and practicals will be held across several UK Cryo-EM facilities.

More information is available here.

Overview

Cryo-EM in Structural Biology 2026 is part of the Wellcome/MRC-funded cryo-EM training programme. The course is aimed at students, and postdoctoral researchers who plan to use cryo-electron microscopy in their structural biology research and have little or no prior hands-on experience.

The course provides a broad introduction to both single-particle cryo-EM and cryo-electron tomography. It combines core theoretical background with practical exposure to key experimental steps, covering end-to-end workflows from sample preparation and screening through to data collection and an introductory overview of image processing.

Course format and structure

The course will run in a hybrid format over one week.

Lectures will take place remotely on Monday 2 March and Tuesday 3 March. Wednesday is reserved for travel. Practical sessions will take place in person on Thursday and Friday, with participants distributed across several partner cryo-EM facilities: ABSL (University of Leeds) eBIC (Diamond Light Source), Birkbeck College (University of London), the Midlands Regional Cryo-EM Facility (University of Leicester), and the Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging (University of Glasgow).

We offer financial support for travel and accommodation to participants with limited access to funding. This support includes reimbursement of travel expenses up to £400, and accommodation for three nights in a budget hotel. Any expenses exceeding these amounts will need to be covered by the participants.

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

Please find below recordings of the talks delivered at our 2026 Cryogenic Electron Microscopy in Structural Biology Workshop.  

Please note demonstrations and practicals are not recorded.

Lecture 1: Sample Preparation for Single Particle cryo- EM Analysis - Peter Harrison (eBIC)

Lecture 2: Overview of the Electron Microscope - Christos Savva (eBIC)

Lecture 3: Image formation in the electron microscope - Dan Clare (eBIC)

Lecture 4: Screening Strategies in Single Particle cryo-EM Analysis - Emma Hesketh (Leicester)

Lecture 5: Image formation and Introduction to the maths of image processing - Matthew Iadanza (CCP-EM)

Lecture 6: SPA processing pipelines – Daniel Hatton (DLS/eBIC)

Lecture 7: Structural Heterogeneity in SPA Datasets – Yuriy Chaban (eBIC)

Lecture 8: Cryo-EM Map Validation - Kako Stapleton (Glasgow)

Lecture 9: Structure Deposition, Curation and Data Reuse - Kyle Morris (Electron Microscopy Data Bank - EMDB)

Lecture 10: An introduction to Cryo-ET - Kyprianos Hadjidemetriou (eBIC)

Lecture 11: Sample Preparation for cryo-ET - Eilis Bragginton (eBIC)

Lecture 12: Theory and principles of cryo-ET - James Streetly (Glasgow)

Lecture 13: Lamella milling for cryo-electron tomography - James Gilchrist (eBIC)

Lecture 14: Cryo-ET Techniques: CEMOVIS and cryo- CLEM - Tom O’Sullivan (Leeds)

Due to permissions, this recording is unfortunately unavailable.

Lecture 15: Screening and collection of the tilt series - Yehuda Halfon (Leeds)

Lecture 16: Averaging and reconstructing 3D maps in cryo-ET - Josh Jenkins (Leeds)

Lecture 17: Cryo-ET Data Processing and Sub Tomogram Averaging using RELION 5 - Rangana Warshamanage (CCP-EM)

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

See on Google Maps

Copyright © Diamond Light Source. Diamond Light Source® and the Diamond logo are registered trademarks of Diamond Light Source Ltd

Registered in England and Wales at Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, United Kingdom. Company number: 4375679. VAT number: 287 461 957. Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number: GB287461957003.

feedback