Gisele Miranda: From image analyst to group leader

Core facility image analysts play a crucial role in supporting research. They act as a bridge between computer science and biology, leveraging their expertise to ensure life scientists have the data tools they need to answer scientific questions. But is it possible to move from image analyst to group leader? We spoke to Gisele Miranda, who recently left her position at BIIF, part of Euro-BioImaging’s Swedish NMI Node to start her own group, the Gisele Miranda Group, at KTH and SciLifeLab. She shares her view on what makes working in a core facility such a rewarding career choice and offers insight on how to stay cutting-edge in the field and active in research. 

Gisele Miranda had just finished her joint PhD in Computer Science (University of São Paulo) and Applied Biological Sciences (Ghent University) in 2019, when she saw an advertisement for a position as Bioimage Analyst hosted at the SciLifeLab BioImage Informatics Facility (BIIF) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The position really appealed to her because it blended the possibility of contributing to the life science field while leveraging her computational expertise. 

Where biology and technology interest

“BIIF is a very unique place to work. It’s a core facility that’s dedicated to image analysis – and in 2019, that was quite a novel concept,” explains Gisele. “What made this position really attractive to me was the opportunity to work at the intersection of computer science and biology analyzing data generated by cutting-edge imaging technologies. In addition, being part of Sweden’s leading technical university, KTH, and SciLifeLab infrastructure, offered an ideal environment for interdisciplinary collaboration. I saw it as an opportunity to keep one foot in research while helping others with their image analysis challenges.” 

With her joint PhD, Gisele was a perfect fit for the image analysis team at BIIF. 

“Image analysis is a very interdisciplinary field,” explains Gisele. “Some image analysts have a biology background, others come from the computer sciences. When I got started, we were just 3 image analysts at BIIF, supporting a very wide research community. Now the group has grown to 7 members.”

My advice to young image analysts would be to master the fundamentals in the field... Keep learning, because technologies evolve very fast. Collaborate. Talk to the people, get involved. Take advantage of training opportunities,”

• Gisele Miranda

Being an image analyst in a core facility

“Working as an image analyst in a core facility is a unique career path. One thing I really liked was the collaborative aspect. There are many diverse projects, and you need to understand the scientific problems you are trying to solve. You need to be able to work with researchers in other fields and collaborate to find solutions. Problem solving is a big part of the job. 

While some image analysis projects can be resolved with off-the-shelf solutions, there was a research challenge behind most of the projects I worked on at BIIF. It’s not just about implementing things, it’s about developing unique solutions that fit a specific problem.” 

Building connections with different communities

But how can you be sure you are able to solve a diverse range of problems and address a wide-range of projects? “This is where relationship building comes in,” says Gisele. Gisele made a point of building strong relationships with the bioimaging community, in particular, with microscopists, because she felt she was lacking knowledge in the domain. She talked to a lot of people, and made an effort to get involved. She joined the NEUBIAS – now GLOBIAS - training network. “NEUBIAS created an important bridge, helping me to integrate in the imaging community,” says Gisele. “It was fantastic for my career development.” 

Another milestone in her career was becoming part of the Chan-Zuckerberg Imaging (CZI) network in 2021. She was one among 15 grantees worldwide to receive an Imaging Scientist grant (cycle 2). This long-term funding was crucial to consolidate her position at BIIF and KTH as well as to expand her collaboration network. 

Working in a facility you also get a lot of management skills. You have to deal with more than projects, you have to work with different research groups,” explains Gisele. “You also get exposed to cutting-edge technologies. Working at BIIF was a great way to learn more about different infrastructures, technologies that are out there.” 

• Gisele Miranda

Taking advantage of training

She also took advantage of training opportunities that came her way and built ties with imaging networks like Euro-BioImaging, Global BioImaging, and with Latin American BioImaging, as a native of Brazil. “Exposure to the international network has really contributed a lot to my career,” remarks Gisele.  

In the past five years, the number of image analysts in core facilities has increased. Today, BIIF provides support and training so researchers can perform state-of-the-art analyses on their image data. They serve 40 projects per year on average throughout Sweden and they also support projects in the AI4Life initiative. In addition, the BIIF team is actively involved in training and community outreach. 

“Working in a facility you also get a lot of management skills. You have to deal with more than projects, you have to work with different research groups,” explains Gisele. “You also get exposed to cutting-edge technologies. Working at BIIF was a great way to learn more about different infrastructures, technologies that are out there.” 

“Another aspect I really enjoyed in my job as image analyst was the mentorship role I had with PhD students and younger scientists. You really work closely with them and become a part of their project.” 

Transitioning back to research

In September 2024, Gisele Miranda, left her position as an image analyst at BIIF, to start her very own group as a KTH-SciLifeLab fellow. After several years of collaborating on cutting-edge imaging projects, she felt ready to focus on pushing the boundaries of image-based research. Her group will focus on leveraging machine learning techniques to advance our understanding of cellular behavior and interactions. 

“Pursuing a research career has always been my goal. So I made a point to maintain ties to research when I was working at BIIF. I have also invested in pedagogical and supervision training at KTH. This helped me paved the way for a career as a PI. The experience I gained at the core facility, working collaboratively with others and the mentorship aspect really helped, too.”

While she was at the facility, obtaining a grant through CZI as a staff scientist also helped her to develop her work. “Getting your own funding is very rewarding. This also made me feel more comfortable pursuing a faculty position, where applying for funding is crucial,” says Gisele. “And the management experience I gained while working with a diverse range of collaborators, from PIs to PhD students was extremely rich and beneficial.”

“My advice to young image analysts would be to try to master the fundamentals in the field. If you come from a more biological background, get more experience, increase your knowledge base in the computational field and vice versa. Keep learning, because technologies evolve very fast. Collaborate. Talk to the people, get involved. Take advantage of training opportunities,” she advises. 

Through deep involvement in expert communities and continued learning, Gisele Miranda shows that leaving active research is not always a one-way street. We wish Gisele all of the best in her new role and look forward to her continued contributions to the imaging community. Stay in touch!