The Simons Electron Microscopy Center provides expertise and resources for understanding both molecular and cellular structures. Molecular structure determination is enabled by single particle cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM) using high-end transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), direct detection cameras, and computational support. Cellular structure determination is enabled by a pipeline for in situ cryo electron tomography (cryoET) that includes cryo light microscopy (cryoLM), specimen preparation using a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM), high end TEMs and direct detectors to acquire tomograms, and a complete pipeline for analysis and sub-tomo averaging.

Started in 2015, SEMC has grown rapidly into a “Center of Centers”. It serves the nine members institutions of NYSBC (see MEMC), provides access and training to the national research community through the National Center for CryoEM Access and Training, provides sample preparation and access and training for in situ cryoET through the National Center for In-situ Tomographic Ultramicroscopy, and includes the Simons Machine Learning Center where a team of machine learning, computer vision, and computational biology experts are pushing the boundaries of machine learning and structural biology.