Throughout National Postdoc Appreciation Week, we have highlighted the daily contributions that postdoctoral scholars bring to our field. In addition to our daily member profiles, this week marked our inaugural Beauty in Biophysics image contest, giving postdocs an opportunity to share the striking visual data generated in their labs.
Following open voting by Society members from Monday through Thursday, the community ranked our entries. Below are the 2026 winning submissions along with the scientific background behind each visual.
First Place: A Trail of Migrasomes
By Raviv Dharan
Prize: $250
About the Image:
Fluorescence lifetime microscopy (FLIM) image of a migrating RPE1 cell stained with the mechanosensitive probe Flipper-TR, showing numerous migrasomes forming along retraction fibers. The color scale represents Flipper-TR fluorescence lifetime. The image reveals differences in membrane organization between the thin retraction fibers and the swollen migrasomes.
Second Place: SOCE-ing Ghosts
By Goutham Kodakandla and Darren Boehning
Prize: $150
About the Image:
A STED superresolution image of a HEK293 cell stained with Orai1 (magenta) and STIM1 (Cyan) after calcium depletion using thapsigargin.
Third Place: Nature's own Mandala - Journey of TRPM3
By Greeshma Jain
Prize: $100
About the Image:
To study the TRPM3 ion channel in its native environment, we prepare plasma membrane-derived vesicles containing TRPM3 in native lipids. Cryo-electron microscopy images these vesicles, enabling reconstruction of the channel’s three-dimensional structure. My mandala-inspired artwork depicts this journey from cellular membrane to molecular architecture.
Congratulations to our award recipients, and thank you to every researcher who submitted an entry. We hope that you will join us again next year for our next contest.