Characterization of materials and biological samples by transmission electron microscopy - Wei Zhang

Characterization of materials and biological samples by transmission electron microscopy

Wei Zhang
Associate Professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences
School of Dentistry
University of Minnesota.

Short bio
Dr. Zhang obtained her PhD in the structural biology group at Purdue University and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the application of cryo-EM and cryo-ET methods to elucidate virus structures and the dynamic changes of viral proteins during infection. Her work centers on the mechanisms of enveloped virus assembly and membrane fusion, two critical stages of the viral life cycle.

Short abstract
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) enables structural characterization of materials and biological specimens at nanometer to near-atomic resolution.
This presentation will introduce TEM imaging methods for materials science and structural biology, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), single-particle 3D reconstruction, and subtomogram averaging. Representative examples will demonstrate how TEM-based approaches provide quantitative insight into morphology, ultrastructure, and molecular organization.