Microscopy

The aim of the study in the follow-up master's program is to obtain the professional qualification of an expert in the field of microscopic methods. The study will focus on electron and light microscopy and other imaging methods especially for research, development and applications. The study program is aimed both at consolidating and deepening the education obtained by students in their previous bachelor's program with physical, mathematical-physical or biophysical focus. The program will deal with areas of light and particle optics, properties of materials and the structure of biological samples, physics related to the properties and construction of imaging devices. The students will get particular knowledge and skills in the field of physics and structural biophysics required for the performance of the profession of development and application specialist. The aim is to prepare qualified experts theoretically, with an emphasis on the ability to follow the development of related physics methods, as well as practically through practical training at standard and development workplaces of manufacturing companies and at academy. In the South Moravian region there are several companies producing electronic microscopes, companies for optical and holographic microscopes, institutes of the Academy of Sciences and modern research campuses of MU and BUT. The two-year master's degree is completed by a final state exam.

This is a new, professionally oriented study program.

Professional physics in various specializations can be studied at all universities associated in the Association of Research Universities of the Czech Republic. After graduates in physics oriented fields are in high demand by top companies and this one the program aims to further expand the possibilities of graduates on the labor market towards applications for the study of not only materials, but also biological samples and processes.

The program is accredited at Masaryk University, Faculty of Science. In addition to academic staff from this faculty and CEITEC MU, other Brno institutions and companies will participate in courses: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tescan and Delong Instruments, the Institute of Instrumentation of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Institute of Materials Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The above-mentioned companies and workplaces will participate in teaching, providing professional practices and leading their theses and provide the necessary experts in the field of experimental and theoretical physics, and being properly equipped with modern technology or directly develop and manufacture it. The advantage of the new program is the monitoring of modern development trends and the use of a wide range of imaging methods for the study of materials and of biological samples, ranging from large structures to atomic resolution. Thus, subjects (and corresponding learning outcomes) focusing on related methods will be strengthened in the this programme.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• To use knowledge of the physical principles in their profession, especially in the field of electron and light optics.
• To utilise modern microscopic instruments and to know their application possibilities.
• To understand in depth the physical principles of operation of these devices.
• To interpret the data obtained by these devices from a physical, biophysical and mathematical point of view.
• Use knowledge of numerical methods and computer modeling.
• To use advanced software for microscopy and optical methods.
• Have the knowledge to be engaged in the development of new components and instruments in the field of microscopy and optics.
• To communicate with application specialists and with users of microscopes and optical instruments.

With their education, skills and practical experience, acquired through university teaching and ongoing practice in companies and institutes of the Academy of Sciences, graduates are destined to be employed as physicists in workplaces and companies developing electron and optical microscopes and related sub-techniques and technologies. Their broad knowledge of the nature of physics and data processing will enable them to apply it at workplaces in connection with the use of professional physics in the design, manufacture and development of new devices and in the development of application methods not only in the field of microscopy, but also in other areas. Top technology companies in the Czech Republic are still very interested in experts in the field of physics.

The aim of the internship is to gain an overview of the methods and applications in the field of electron and optical microscopes and of the related instrumentation via a short independent work on an assigned task within the institutions and companies involved. As part of the practical training, the student completes a total of 6 weeks of practice. At the end of the first semester, there will be 2 weeks of excursions at academic workplaces (two institutes of the Academy of Sciences in Brno) and companies (in particular, three Brno companies in the field of electron microscopy, i.e. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tescan, Delong Instruments), dealing with microscopy and optics. This which will make it easier for students to choose a thesis topic. At the end of the first year, the student completes one or two shorter internships at workplaces of his choice within 4 weeks. Additional basic professional skills shaping the professional profile of a physicist in the field of optics and microscopy will be acquired in the teaching in practical exercises. Those will take place in the first three semesters of study and will cover an important area of microscopy techniques and types of instruments.

The thesis has to be up-to-date and express student's understanding of the physical issues of the topic being worked on. During the work, the student demonstrates the ability and independence while working on a larger problem with a greater share of own contribution. In the written final thesis, the student will prove this via a theoretical introduction and the experimental part of the work with a carefully described and analyzed experimental content and discussion. It will be possible to write and defend final theses in Czech, Slovak or English languages.

The student is primarily prepared for the profession of physicist, especially in the field of electron and light microscopy and other imaging methods. In addition to company education, however, further education is also possible, especially in the form of postgraduate training. That would allow the student to specialize in one of the other areas, e.g. related to the development of components of these devices (electron optics and beam propagation, detectors, interaction of radiation and substances, biological applications). However, the student has also professional prerequisites for further studies in doctoral programs with physics or biophysical focus. Doctoral programs directly following the proposed program are not expected for the time being as any physics specialization can be studied.