NSF Grant
This July 2025, the NSF awarded a $ 1.2 million grant to Dr. Yuankai Huo, Dr. Jason Valentine, and BioMIID's own Dr. Bryan Millis for developing a new intelligent cyber-microscopy platform.
BioMIID is a highly collaborative technology development, deployment, and education program, specializing in custom-built optical imaging platforms for biomedical researchers both on and off Vanderbilt's campus. Our mission is to accelerate the pace of biomedical research discovery through rapid deployment of custom optical platforms, and "big data" driven technologies, along with an immersive hands-on approach to imaging education. BioMIID is not a core facility, but rather operates under a collaborative model, whereby advancing your science with our tools feeds sustainability through high-impact publications and joint funding opportunities.​​
BioMIID's brand-new facility within the beautiful Engineering and Science Building is purpose-built with collaboration and data-intensive imaging in mind. Central to our mission, technology development is juxtaposed with deployment to facilitate robust utilization. An innovation space and "Fab Lab" sits just across from six dedicated imaging suites housing a fleet of custom microscopes. These spaces are supported by a dedicated tissue culture suite, image analysis suite/teaching space, and remotely accessible data center for on-demand access to high-performance computation from anywhere in the world.
BioMIID is strategically located to forge close collaborations in a mixed scientific domain space. Here, we maintain close ties with our partners at the Wondr'y and VINSE (Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering), who compliment our imaging expertise with state-of-the-art resources, from custom electronics, to advanced nanofabrication. When our cross-disciplinary neighboring labs are considered, it cultivates an active incubator of resources, knowledge, and wide-ranging expertise, from fundamental cell biology to rapid diagnostics.​​
BioMIID is passionate about educating the next generation of scientific leaders. Many of our students are gifted in the classroom, demonstrating mastery of a complex range of concepts. However, our philosophy is to develop their "hands just as much as their heads." The goal is to ensure they become valuable assets in the working world right out of the gate. This is accomplished via immersive, intensive, and highly project-focused experiences, such as our "BioMIID Summer Immersion" whereby students take a 10 week deep dive on projects intentionally designed to force them to consider a "systems engineering" approach to their builds.
We believe in sharing our knowledge and expertise to all that seek it, and provide global imaging and microscopy education all over the world. Through initiatives like our "Widening the Lens" microscopy education program, we leverage highly interactive remote teaching to reach students, staff, and faculty across six continents to date. Through our "Vanderbilt Visitor's Imaging Program (VVIP)" we host researchers from across the country to utilize our custom systems and get valuable experience with advanced microscopy platforms to accelerate their research.
Collaborate with us!
The Engineering & Science Building,
2414 Highland Ave, 6th Floor, Nashville, TN 37212
