Q | What's your research background?
My name is Miguel de Jesus. I look back at my career so far and realize in post that I'm a science wanderer. I started out in the Philippines studying chemistry, took on an internship in molecular biology and diagnostics, found work in clinical studies utilizing cellular therapeutics and immunotherapy, moved to New York for my PhD in T cell biophysics and immunobiology, and am now a postdoctoral researcher in Nashville working on cutting-edge microscopy and tech development.
Q | How did you first get interested in science?
Science was a relative weakness for me in middle school, but everything changed in high school when a string of inspirational teachers got me thinking more deeply about chemistry and its applications in medicine, food, and entertainment. I walked through the doors that great mentors and career coaches helped to pry open and have so far been in research for thirteen odd years now.
Q | Tell us about your favorite research project you’re working on.
At Vanderbilt, I have an extremely cool mission: to design, build, customize, and deploy bespoke microscopy technologies with high potential impact for biomedical researchers to then use for their work. Our model bypasses almost the entire 10–15-year instrument development cycle of some commercial microscope systems, which significantly accelerates discovery for our many users and collaborators inside and outside of the university.
Q | What has been the most exciting part of your scientific journey so far?
I've moved to a relatively new field in almost every chapter of my research life. So, I find the most excitement in thinking about new things, without losing sight of the need to make impact in all these new spaces.
Q | If you could be a laboratory instrument, which one would you be and why?
Of course, I think our custom microscopes are some of the coolest instruments ever. Make me a super-fast multi-modal fluorescence light-sheet microscope any day of the week!
Are you a researcher who would like to be featured in the “Postdoc Portraits” series? Send in your application here.
