IIT Guwahati Launches North-East Chapter of India BioImaging with Intensive Microscopy Training Course

IIT Guwahati's Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, in partnership with India BioImaging (IBI), hosted a five-day microscopy training course in June 2026 — the inaugural event of IBI's North-East Chapter, equipping researchers from across the country with hands-on skills in advanced imaging and analysis. 

Published 13 June 2026 | Category Workshops | Office Dept of Biosciences and Bioengineering

A five-day microscopy training course conducted by IIT Guwahati in partnership with India BioImaging (IBI) drew a cross-section of the nation's biosciences community — graduate students, PhD scholars, postdocs, faculty members and imaging facility staff — from research institutions including IITs, AIIMS, CSIR laboratories and medical colleges.

The workshop was designed to allow participants to move from acquiring an image to defending it as rigorous, reproducible data.

From Choosing the Right Tool to Trusting the Data

During 35 hours of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on sessions, the workshop tackled a challenge that biological researchers frequently encounter: how does one quantitatively analyse microscopy data?

The course was structured to build competence at every stage of the imaging workflow, not just at the microscope. Participants learnt to select appropriate microscopy modalities based on the biological question and experimental requirements at hand.

They also received extensive practical training on Fiji/ImageJ, covering segmentation, thresholding, fluorescence intensity quantification and colocalisation analysis.

Equally central to the curriculum was an emphasis on reproducibility, calibration and standardised imaging workflows, with sessions on Point Spread Function analysis, resolution measurement and quality-control benchmarking ensuring that participants understood not just how to acquire an image, but how to trust it.

Building Scientific Ability, Not Just Technical Skill

The workshop was not meant to be only a course in operating equipment. It was designed to cultivate scientific ability in bioimaging, encompassing critical thinking, sound experimental design, careful assessment of data, and a disciplined commitment to reproducibility.

Participants across career stages, from graduate students to faculty and imaging facility staff, came away with a shared understanding that microscopy is a multidisciplinary, quantitative science, integrating optics, biology and computation, rather than a purely technical exercise.

The First Chapter of a Nationwide Initiative

This workshop marks the launch of the IBI's North-East Chapter and the first instalment in a broader national series aimed at strengthening bioimaging education and research capacity across India. Building on this programme's success, IBI plans to conduct further workshops and advanced training courses in other regions of the country.

About India BioImaging

Established in 2012 as the Indian Research Infrastructure for Imaging Technologies in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, India BioImaging was founded with a vision to democratise access to cutting-edge microscopy technologies and harmonise imaging training standards across institutions. Through a growing network of regional chapters, IBI aims to build a nationwide community of imaging scientists, facility managers, clinicians and researchers equipped to advance biological and biomedical imaging research in India.

The workshop was organised by Dr. Shirisha Nagotu and Dr. Kapish Gupta from the Dept of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati. Teaching Assistant team: Darshani Sardar Chopade, Isha Kashyap, Ankita Adhikary, Tanveera Rounaque Sarhadi, Harsh Vikram Singh, Yashodhara Goswami, Sneha Kumari, Anushka Dixit and Soham Basu.