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.

We stand up for science

We stand up for science
Flyer adapted from Stand Up for Science. Learn about important policy goals here.

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

Resolving the Orientations of and Angular Separation Between a Pair of Dipole EmittersCongratulations to Yiyang, whose study is now online in Phys. Rev. Lett.!
- Read about how it is impossible for polarization microscopes to distinguish a pair of molecules from a single molecule: “Resolving the Orientations of and Angular Separation Between a Pair of Dipole Emitters”

Brian Sun We welcome Brian back to the lab for the PhD portion of his MSTP training!

Single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy: Applications and approachesCongratulations to Oumeng, whose review article is now online in Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics!
- Read it here: “Single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy: Applications and approaches”

Sam Kang, Microscopy Control and Calibration Mapping System Sam presented his summer research at the fall 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium!

More news...