Washington University in St Louis

The Preston M. Green Department of
Electrical & Systems Engineering

We build novel imaging technologies

Lew Lab group photo

The Lew Lab builds advanced imaging systems to study biological and chemical systems at the nanoscale. Our technology leverages innovations in applied optics, signal and image processing, design optimization, and physical chemistry. We partner with scientists and engineers across all disciplines to develop technologies to solve unmet needs in science, medicine, and society.

Diversity fosters creative ideas to challenging problems

Lew Lab diversity and inclusion
Poster courtesy of sammykatta.com/diversity.

The Lew Lab is a team of inventors, thinkers, and problem solvers working at the intersection of science and technology.

Meet our team

Creating impactful technology is our passion

We invent advanced nanoscopes with nanometer resolution that visualize single molecules in biological and chemical systems. [WebM - 48 MB]
Our novel microscopes robustly measure the 3D positions and 3D orientations of single fluorescent molecules using very little light. [WEBM - 13.0 MB]
Deep learning helps us robustly image molecules' positions and orientations using only 2D camera images with incredible speed and accuracy. [MP4 - 3.97 MB]
Our imaging systems resolve the nanoscale architecture of amyloid peptide aggregates, a key signature of Alzheimer's disease. [WebM - 20.3 MB]
Learn more about our research

Lab news

Upcoming talks

Matt will be giving an invited talk in the “High-Speed Biomedical Imaging and Spectroscopy IX” conference at Photonics West in San Francisco. He will be speaking about “6D single-fluorogen orientation-localization microscopy for elucidating the architecture of beta-sheet assemblies and biomolecular condensates” in Moscone Center, Room 301, at 9:00 AM on January 27, 2024.

Tingting's PhD defense, November 20, 2023Tingting successfully defended her thesis, “Information-Rich 6D Single-Molecule Imaging Using Optimization,” on Monday, November 20, at 1 PM in Green Hall's Rodin Auditorium. Congratulations and we will miss you, Tingting!

Lew Lab alternate photo 2023 We hiked together and celebrated Tingting's many contributions to the group. After graduating, she will work on polarization-sensitive imaging for Metalenz in Boston, MA. Thank you for bringing advanced computation and biomolecular condensates to the lab!

2nd annual SPECTRA student-led conference flyerBrian presenting his talkBrian presenting his talk Brian and Jasmine presented their research at the 2nd annual SPECTRA student-led conference. Both the talks and poster session had superb attendance. Thanks to the wonderful 2023 officers for bringing together the WashU optics community!

SERMACS 2023, Durham, NC, October 25-28, 2023 Matt presented “Single-fluorogen imaging reveals the nanoscale structure of beta-sheet assemblies and biomolecular condensates” in the “Single-molecule Dynamics in Complex Chemical and Biological Systems” session at SERMACS 2023.

“Capturing images of molecules with a new level of resolution: An interview with Prof. Matthew Lew” was published in Wiley Analytical Science magazine.

More news...