I am, in equal parts, a biomedical engineer, a cardiac physiologist, and microscopist. My team and I are working to understand how protein nano-machines – structures 10,000 times smaller than the width of human hair – contribute to the spread of electrical signals through the heart. The goal of this research is to develop novel treatments to prevent life-threatening arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). In pursuing this scientific mission, we are often challenged by the limits of current microscopy and image analysis methods. Therefore, the efforts of my laboratory are divided between cardiac research and the development of new imaging and image analysis techniques.