Dr Joanna Richmond

Dr. Joanna Biazik-Richmond is a cell biologist with expertise in electron microscopy (EM). She earned her PhD in Anatomy and Histology from the University of Sydney in 2008, where she studied the evolution of viviparity and the associated changes in the uterine epithelium. Her research involved fieldwork, animal collection, reptile husbandry, tissue excision, and various experimental procedures.

Following her PhD, Joanna worked as a Research Associate at the Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis from 2008 to 2011. She then became a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki, where she focused on autophagy in cells, with a particular emphasis on cell culture and volume imaging, from 2011 to 2018.

In 2018, Joanna joined the University of New South Wales, where she now manages the Electron Microscopy PC2 cell culture facility. In this role, she provides training and support for collaborative projects with researchers from UNSW, other research centers, hospitals, and industry. These projects cover a wide range of topics, including nanoparticle uptake in cells, the ultrastructure of sea sponges and insect ovarioles, biocompatibility assays of composites for bone regeneration, interactions between hydrogels and cells, drug clinical trials, lab-grown meats, cellular agriculture, plant ultrastructure, and both animal and human biopsies.

Joanna specializes in and teaches various electron microscopy techniques, including transmission and scanning electron microscopy, high-pressure freezing, CLEM, Immuno EM, and volume EM. She has also developed a successful hands-on cell culture training module, through which she has trained over 60 researchers from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Material Science in aseptic techniques, fostering innovative multidisciplinary research and bridging the gap between biological and material sciences