Ricardo Henriques elected as EMBO Member
Ricardo Henriques, who has recently joined ITQB NOVA as Principal Investigator (PI), has been elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in recognition of his pioneering work in super-resolution microscopy and artificial intelligence (AI) methods for visualizing cellular and viral structures at the molecular level. This election is part of EMBO’s 60th-anniversary celebration, during which 100 new members and 20 associate members joined the organization’s community of leading researchers.
Joining EMBO connects the PI to a distinguished network of scientists who shape the trajectory of life sciences across Europe and globally. ITQB NOVA researchers Cecília Arraiano, Inês Cardoso Pereira, Maria Arménia Carrondo, and Mariana Pinho are already part of this network, contributing to scientific policy, excellence in life sciences, and various EMBO programs.
“Being elected as an EMBO Member is both a tremendous honor and responsibility. EMBO represents excellence in life sciences research in Europe, and this recognition reflects not just my personal contributions but the collective achievements of my entire research team and collaborators over the years”, Ricardo Henriques highlighted.
“This membership provides a platform to influence the direction of European life sciences research, particularly in integrating artificial intelligence and advanced imaging methods. It enables us to contribute to EMBO's training initiatives, helping to develop the next generation of quantitative cell biologists. Through EMBO's network, we will further promote our open science principles and establish collaborations that bridge traditional disciplinary boundaries”, he adds.
This election reflects the growing impact of super-resolution microscopy and AI in biological research and signals a promising era of cross-disciplinary innovation at ITQB NOVA. The new laboratory - AI-driven Optical Biology - develops innovative open-source tools that not only push the boundaries of cellular imaging but also address fundamental questions in fields like virology, microbiology, immunology, host-pathogen interactions, and cell signaling.
Learn more about ITQB NOVA’s new PI and research group:
Can you tell us about your scientific journey so far? How does establishing your group at ITQB NOVA align with this path?
Ricardo Henriques - My scientific trajectory emerged from an unconventional intersection between particle physics and biological imaging. After completing my undergraduate studies in physics, I discovered the fascinating potential of applying physical principles to biological systems. My doctoral research, conducted across multiple institutions including iMM, Institut Pasteur, and CSIR, focused on developing single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) techniques. This work contributed to the advancement of super-resolution microscopy, enabling the visualization of cellular structures with unprecedented precision, typically achieving resolutions of 20-30 nanometers.
The establishment of my laboratory at UCL in 2013 marked the beginning of our work on quantitative imaging of host-pathogen interactions. We pioneered several open-source computational tools, including SRRF (Super-Resolution Radial Fluctuations) and NanoJ, which the microscopy community has widely adopted. Our subsequent expansion to the Francis Crick Institute in 2017 allowed us to further develop artificial intelligence approaches for microscopy, particularly in image data-mining.
The transition to IGC in 2020 and now to ITQB NOVA represents a strategic evolution of our research programme. At ITQB NOVA, we are particularly excited about applying our expertise in advanced microscopy and machine learning to bacterial systems. The institute's outstanding infrastructure and strong structural and molecular biology tradition provide an ideal environment for developing next-generation imaging technologies and computational methods.
What will your research at ITQB NOVA focus on?
Ricardo Henriques – Our laboratory's research programme at ITQB NOVA centers on developing and applying artificial intelligence-driven microscopy approaches to understand cellular processes at the molecular scale. We are particularly focused on three interconnected areas:
First, the development of custom microscopy platforms that integrate real-time AI processing for adaptive imaging. This includes implementing novel illumination strategies and detection schemes that respond dynamically to sample characteristics.
Second, we are expanding our computational methods to include advanced deep learning architectures specifically designed for biological image analysis. These tools will address challenges in image restoration, segmentation, and tracking of molecular events during host-pathogen interactions. Our current work involves developing self-supervised learning approaches that require minimal human annotation, making these tools more accessible to the broader scientific community.
Third, we are applying these technological developments to understand the molecular mechanisms of both viral and bacterial infection. This includes studying the nanoscale organization of bacterial cell walls and their interaction with host cell membranes using techniques such as SRRF and expansion microscopy. The integration with ITQB NOVA's expertise in bacterial biology opens new avenues for understanding antimicrobial resistance mechanisms at the molecular level.
