Fitzpatrick Awarded Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Imaging Scientist Fellowship

Biography

Dr. Fitzpatrick originally studied chemistry at King’s College, London and completed his doctorate in chemical physics at the University of Bristol. In 2003, he immigrated to the United States for post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, where he developed his passion for microscopy. In 2009 he was appointed the inaugural Core Director of the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif., where he developed an interest in correlative microscopy. In 2015 he was recruited to Washington University in St. Louis as the inaugural Director of the Center for Cellular Imaging, where he works with biomedical researchers to integrate cutting-edge imaging and analysis tools into their research programs. In addition, he continues to focus on the development of correlative microscopy methods and leverages those efforts in collaborative studies relating to cancer, protein aggregation, and neurodegeneration.

Project Description

Dr. Fitzpatrick’s overarching vision has been to develop the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) as a shared technology resource whose goals are to:

• Educate, inform and train users from a wide variety of scientific backgrounds and disciplines about best practices for experimental design, sample preparation, and quantitative imaging and analysis;
• Provide logistical access to, and technical support in the use of state-of-the-art cellular imaging technologies;
• Develop and apply new multi-scale correlated imaging approaches; and
• Work collaboratively with researchers to catalyze new avenues of biomedical research to advance our understanding of human health and disease.

Dr. Fitzpatrick will work to innovate novel approaches and resources for training and educating users and will facilitate outreach efforts in order to train the next generation of imaging scientists. Dr. Fitzpatrick will also develop an eight-week course on cellular imaging to introduce the concepts of fluorescence, electron/ion, X-ray and cryo-EM approaches for beginner-level microscopists.