Biography:

Sophia Breusegem (“Sophie”) obtained her PhD in Biophysics and Computational Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying protein-protein interactions in C. elegans muscle attachment structures using two-photon excitation FRET and FLIM microscopy. She followed this with postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Moshe Levi in Denver, Colorado, where she investigated the regulation of renal and intestinal sodium/phosphate co-transporters. She then joined the University of Cambridge as a research associate, first in Matthew Seaman’s lab where she carried out an imaging-based genome-wide siRNA screen to uncover new proteins acting in endosomal trafficking and then in the lab of Delphine Larrieu where she screened a whole-genome CRISPR arrayed library to identify genes enhancing cellular resilience in premature aging. In October 2022 she joined the MRC Toxicology unit at the University of Cambridge, first in Vito Mennella’s lab, where she developed fluorescence microscopy methods to assess effects of environmental toxicants on human airway epithelial cell health. In March 2025 she was appointed as manager of the Advanced Light Imaging facility in the Unit.

Research interests:

Sophie is fascinated by how fluorescence microscopy can be used to inform on a variety of questions in cell biology, ranging from subcellular localization inquiries to cell health responses to complex organismal processes. As Advanced Light Imaging facility manager at the MRC Toxicology Unit she maintains and trains users to use a suite of sophisticated light microscopy systems including confocal microscopes, a super-resolution microscope and a high-content imaging system. Sophie also assists users with image analysis to enable them to take full advantage of the possibilities of light imaging microscopy for their research.