York University labs

York University labs

For several years, I worked for a science magazine. I visited various laboratories and talked to scientists who shared their research with me. I produced good, mid-level reports, and no one demanded cinematic photography from me. However, sometimes I experimented with lighting, resulting in photos of a completely different quality. These were later used by the Skolkovo Institute on their website and in university publications.

But one day, I found myself at the University of York, where I had complete freedom: I could shoot in any laboratory and work exactly as I wanted. I tried different lighting, worked with colors, and directed people in the frame. So, my first hero.

Dr. Oliver Bayfield, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemistry, University of York

Oliver has a PhD in the assembly mechanisms of viruses, which he obtained from the National Institutes of Health (USA) and the University of York (UK). His undergraduate degree was in chemistry, and he then specialized in structural biology for his doctoral studies, combining elements of biology, physics, and chemistry to answer questions relating to the molecular mechanisms of infection.

Milton Ashworth, Graduated from University of Liverpool. Currently a PhD student at the University of York.

Here I am putting a small droplet of protein onto a grid which can be loaded into the microscope. This machine is called the vitrobot and is critical for cryoEM grid preparation. Samples are plunged rapidly into liquid ethane to produce a thin layer of vitreous ice. The protein of interest will then be suspended frozen in this ice where electrons can be fired at it

Dr Pavol Bardy, graduated from Masaryk Univerzity, Czechia

Some microbes tamed their viruses and transformed them into gene delivery vehicles. These particles mediate a horizontal gene transfer. This transfer enables microbes to rapidly acquire novel genes such as those conferring antibiotic resistance. I am studying how these particles function on a molecular level using structural methods of cryo-electron microscopy and tomography.

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