Are you interested in learning about career development and microscopy and imaging at UHN?

Join the Research Professionals at UHN (RP@UHN) and members of the Advanced Optical Microscopy Facility (AOMF) team on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM for a virtual panel discussion highlighting opportunities, innovations, and growth in image-based research.

During this session, we will:

• Explore career pathways in microscopy, imaging, and research support across academic and healthcare settings.
• Learn the power of collaboration through examples of how AOMF staff work with researchers and clinicians to advance discovery.
• Gain insights on mentorship, networking, and career growth in scientific research and technical support.

Whether you are a researcher, trainee, or professional interested in learning more about the career journeys of AOMF team members, this event offers valuable perspectives and practical guidance for advancing your path in microscopy and imaging.

This workshop is free and open to everyone! Note that this workshop will be recorded and the recording will be shared with all event participants.

Meet the Panel:

Henrietta “Henny” Bennet, PhD – Research Associate

• Henrietta “Henny” Bennet is a Research Associate at the Advanced Optical Microscopy Facility (AOMF) at the University Health Network (UHN). She provides support to researchers with a diverse set of imaging needs in the biomedical sciences. Henrietta’s specialties are cell biology and super-resolution microscopy, which draw on her past experience from her PhD studies at Stanford University, California, and postdoctoral work in Toronto at SickKids and at St. Michael’s Hospital.

James Jonkman, MSc – Staff Scientist & AOMF Manager

• James Jonkman has an MSc in Physics (optics) from University of Waterloo where he learned to build optical microscopes. He then spent 2.5 years at the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany in the microscope development group. Returning to Toronto, he started and currently manages the largest microscopy facility in Canada. With over 40 instruments at 4 sites, he and his team at the AOMF help over 500 users per year with every manner of optical microscopy, from basic fluorescence and brightfield acquisition to advanced techniques such as Super-resolution, FRAP, FRET, and 3D analysis. James is particularly passionate about teaching and training users. He ran week-long optical microscopy courses in the AOMF for 15 years, has co-authored several book chapters and review articles, presented at numerous conferences and webinars, and has helped as an organizer and instructor for the Montreal Light Microscopy Course (MLMC). James was also the co-president of the Canadian Cytometry and Microscopy Association (CCMA) from 2014-2017 and is currently on the executive of Canada BioImaging.

Wesley Walker, MSc – Research Technician

• Wesley Walker is a research technician at the Advanced Optical Microscopy Facility, where he has worked for three years. Previously, he studied Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo before coming to UHN to obtain his MSc in the lab of Dr. Gang Zheng. He now teaches the next generation of researchers to operate fluorescence microscopes and perform image analysis.