Imperial College London Imaging Hub

The mission of the Imaging Hub is to be a leading microscopy knowledge center, fostering meaningful dialogue between academia and industry. 

Scientists benefit from access to Leica microscopy systems and optimised imaging workflows, enabling deeper insights into their research through high-quality images and data. Seminars, workshops and events are also regularly held, welcoming scientists from the university and the wider scientific community.

The Imaging labs in Imperial’s South Kensington campus comprise of two rooms equipped with Leica Microsystems advanced confocal and widefield microscopy solutions. Open to all researchers, they also include an analysis suite with Aivia software for AI-based image analysis, and a tissue culture area for sample preparation, with additional support facilities nearby.

In the Sir Michael Uren Hub at Imperial’s White City Campus, researchers in the Department of Bioengineering’s Core Facility use the DVM6 Digital Microscope for a wide variety of industrial, and research and development applications, including:

• Imaging of microneedle prototypes for drug delivery systems in skin patches
• Measurement of the width of microfluidic channels cut by femtolasers and evaluation of the tolerances of actual channel width vs. design
• Inspection of additively manufactured polycrystalline porous stainless-steel welds and coatings to ensure no defects

Expert guidance on all these systems is provided by Leica Advanced Workflow Specialists, who work alongside Imperial’s Core Facility Managers to answer questions relating to application and imaging workflows.