Understanding how the brain functions requires powerful technologies capable of revealing the activities of living cells.

Guided by this philosophy, the Cellular Imaging team provides access to  state-of-the-art imaging instruments, such as microscopes that can scan large groups of cells in an instant with a sheet of light. We train researchers to use these tools, and work hand-in-hand with scientists to design and carry out the experiments that lead to big discoveries. Our facility at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute serves as a central repository of imaging and image analysis expertise, available to the Institute and to the university at large. We also seek to push the limits of technology by developing new techniques for illuminating the workings of cells, designed to be used at Columbia and shared with the wider scientific community.