Advanced Microscopy Centre

Who can use the facility

The AMC is open to all Veyra Institute staff and students, and to external users who have completed the access process. External users may be from academic institutions, industry, or government research organisations. There is no requirement to be a Veyra research collaborator to access the facility.

Training requirements

New users of the cryo-TEM (EM-200) must complete a structured training programme comprising: a two-hour instrument orientation, two supervised practice sessions using standard test samples, and a competency sign-off from Dr. Almquist. Total training time is typically 8–12 hours spread over two to three visits.

Confocal (MIC-7) training requires: a two-hour instrument orientation and one supervised session. AFM training follows a similar two-session structure. Light-sheet (LS-1) is operated by facility staff only for first-time users; self-access available after three supervised sessions.

Assisted sessions

Users who do not wish to complete training, or whose work requires particularly high-quality data collection settings, can book operator-assisted sessions at the standard external hourly rate plus a staffing supplement of 40 cr/hr. The facility scientist operates the instrument; the user directs the experiment.

Booking and priority

The EM-200 cryo-TEM operates on a weekly booking cycle released six weeks in advance. Priority is given in the following order: (1) active Veyra-sponsored research projects, (2) external service bookings (paid), (3) internal users on standard access. In practice, the majority of cryo-TEM sessions go to external users booking through the services arm.

MIC-7 and AFM bookings are typically available within 48–72 hours. The light-sheet LS-1 operates on a four-week advance booking window.

Sample preparation

The cryo-sample preparation suite (CRYO-P) is available to booked cryo-EM users. The Leica GP2 plunge freezer operates on a booking-per-session basis, and is typically used in the hour before a cryo-TEM session begins. Users are responsible for bringing their own grids (Quantifoil, C-flat, or UltraAuFoil; 300 mesh standard). A limited supply of grids is available from the facility store at cost price.

Data handling

Raw data from EM-200 sessions is transferred automatically to the AMC data server (400 TB) and is available for 30 days at no charge. Users are expected to download data to their own storage within this window. Long-term archiving on the Meridian HPC storage tier is available for an additional charge of 2 cr/TB/month.