I am Cesar Augusto Valades-Cruz, a Bioimage Analyst and Associate Researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Wuhan, China). My work bridges advanced microscopy, image analysis, and computational methods to study biological processes at the nanoscale.
I hold a BSc in Mechatronics Engineering, an MSc in Nanophotonics (Erasmus Mundus), and a PhD in Biophotonics (Erasmus Mundus Europhotonics) from Institut Fresnel / Aix-Marseille University and ICFO / UPC Barcelona. During my PhD in Sophie Brasselet's group, I developed polarized super-resolution microscopy methods to image the orientational order of biological filaments, DNA, and amyloid protofilaments — a line of research that continues to this day.
After my PhD, I joined Ludger Johannes' team at Institut Curie as a postdoc and imaging specialist in Lattice Light-Sheet Microscopy (LLSM), followed by positions in the Serpico/STED team (Inria / Institut Curie), where I worked on machine learning for 3D live cell imaging, data management, and industry collaborations with Myriade Biotech and Gataca Systems. I am also a founding member of the Light-Sheet community Wildsheet.
Research experience
Study of growth and cell division mechanisms of cyanobacteria using advanced microscopy and deep learning-based image analysis.
LabEx Cell(n)Scale collaborative project. Implementation of a polarization module on a STORM-TIRFM system (PolarSTORM) at Institut Curie. Development of image analysis workflows for biomolecule tracking and high-resolution mapping of molecular mobility.
Development of mathematical models and image processing tools to improve tracking and size estimation of virus particles and extracellular vesicles in the VideoDrop system.
Development of machine learning methods for automated detection and quantification of molecular interactions and cell processes in 3D+time live cell imaging data. Co-development of navigation and visualization tools for large-scale microscopy datasets (NAVISCOPE).
3D image processing and quantification of endocytic mechanisms using LLSM and single particle tracking. Set up and managed a Lattice Light-Sheet Microscope at the PICT-IBiSA imaging facility, Institut Curie, part of the France BioImaging National Infrastructure.
Education
Teaching, outreach and institutional activities
Teaching
01/2015 – 12/2015 · University Lecturer: Tec de Monterrey, Morelia, Mexico. Teaching Physics, Mathematics, and Differential Equations.
Institutional activities
BI-IPDM — FranceBioImaging. Member of the BioImage Informatics – Image Processing and Data Management Node of the National Infrastructure FranceBioImaging.
Group Multiscale Light-Sheet Microscopy — FranceBioImaging. Member of the Multiscale Light-Sheet Microscopy working group of the National Infrastructure FranceBioImaging.
Outreach
Wildsheet Slack Group. Founding member of the Light-Sheet Microscopy community Wildsheet.
Awards
2020–2024 Member of the Mexican National Research System (SNI 1)
2010–2014 Erasmus Mundus Fellowship for PhD
2008–2010 Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) Fellowship for Master
2008–2010 Erasmus Mundus Fellowship for Master