In November 2025, the JEOL JEM-ARM200F double aberration-corrected TEM housed at the DSTI-NRF Centre for HRTEM will mark a major milestone – 15 years since its first electrons travelled down the column.

To commemorate this achievement, the CHRTEM is launching a series of events, starting Nov 2025, highlighting the transformative impact of advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on South Africa’s national system of innovation. The first of these events will be a research focussed Insights in Microscopy workshop series that aims to highlight the various techniques and applications of TEM.

You are invited to attend the,

Insights in Microscopy: South African Workshop Series on Electron Microscope Imaging and Analysis

Programme of Events

24 November 2025 – Introduction to Electron Microscopy Imaging and Analysis
(Standalone afternoon refresher workshop for students and early-career researchers)

Venue: Auditorium, Inkanyezi Building, Building 127, Nelson Mandela University

This introductory workshop is designed to familiarise participants with the principles and applications of electron microscopy. The session will provide both theoretical background and practical insights into how electron microscopy is used to answer research questions in materials science, nanotechnology, and the life sciences.

Topics will include:

- What is electron microscopy? Types of electron microscopy and analytical techniques
- Specimen requirements and preparation strategies
- Advantages and limitations of electron microscopy
- Techniques for imaging and analysing soft matter and biological materials
- Data processing approaches and best practices

25–26 November 2025 – Advanced Workshop on TEM Techniques and Applications
(by invitation only, hosted in collaboration with JEOL Ltd)

Venue: DSTI-NRF Centre for HRTEM (invitation only) and online

Aimed at TEM instrument scientists, advanced users, and researchers from national electron microscopy facilities in South Africa, this two-day workshop combines in-depth lectures with hands-on training on CHRTEM’s state-of-the-art instruments. Participants will engage directly with advanced operational methods, guided by both local and international TEM experts.

Programme highlights:

- TEM optics and advanced imaging techniques
- Electron diffraction and imaging principles
- Analytical TEM applications
- STEM and spectroscopy techniques (EDS, EELS)
- Emerging TEM frontiers:
      > 4D-STEM and computational imaging
      > In-situ TEM (heating, biasing)
      > Low-dose, Fast, Multi-frame and Digital STEM Acquisition
      > TEM automation and workflow optimisation

This workshop will strengthen technical expertise within the South African TEM community, while fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange across institutions.

27 November 2025 – Special Symposium on the Frontiers of Transmission Electron Microscopy

Venue: DSTI-NRF Centre for HRTEM (invitation only) and online

The workshop series will conclude with a one-day symposium featuring keynote presentations and panel discussions with leading national and international experts. The symposium will explore current and future developments in TEM applications, with particular focus on their relevance to South Africa and the African research landscape.

Speakers: Prof Peter van Aken (Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research), Prof Yi Wang (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Dr Lewys Jones (Trinity College Dublin) and Dr Damien McGrouther (JEOL UK)

A highlight of the symposium will be a panel discussion on the future applicability of aberration-corrected TEM in South Africa, aiming to bring together voices from academia, industry, and government.