Welcome to Fluorescence Imaging Core
The goal of the Fluorescence Imaging Core (FIC), located in the Medical Sciences building, is to accommodate any biological research that requires wide-field, confocal, 2 Photon, lightsheet and TIRF fluorescent microscopy. Our mission is to support research endeavors by advising and optimizing the acquisition, analysis, and presentation of imaging data.
The microscope systems currently in service include:
- Zeiss Z7 Lightsheet Microscope
- Zeiss Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope (LSM) 710 META
- Zeiss Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope (LSM) 710 BiG
- Zeiss Laser TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence) Microscope
- Zeiss Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope
- Leica Stellaris 8 Dive Multiphoton Microscope with Falcon (FLIM)
- Prairie Technologies Ultima In Vivo Multiphoton Microsopy System
- Olympus VivaView Incubator/Fluorescence Microscope
- Olympus BX51 Fluorescence Microscope (Upright)
- Olympus IX70 Fluorescence Microscope (Inverted)
- Image Analysis Workstation (Imaris/MetaMorph/MatLab/Fiji)
More detailed descriptions of all available equipment can be found in the instruments page. Such instruments can be individually reserved, and each comes with its own set of associated usage fees. Certain microscopes can also be outfitted with temperature-controlled stage inserts for live cell observation. In addition, multiple workstations dedicated to digital image manipulation and analysis are always on standby in the facility.
If you are new to the facility and would like to begin training on one of the instruments, feel free to sign up for an initial 2-hour session through rrc-imaging@uic.edu. Please indicate the instrument in the email along with your availability.
Normal business hours for the Fluorescence Imaging Core (FIC) are from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday thru Friday, though extended access can be provided with adequate training.
Core Director
Faculty Advisor
Simon Alford
Email:
Faculty Advisory Committee
Jonathan Art
Anne George
Jalees Rehman
Thomas J Royston
Email:
Jae-Won Shin
Dolly Mehta
Phone:
Email:
Research Resources Center Cores

Research Resources Center
Meet the RRC
The Research Resources Center is a division of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois Chicago. RRC offers research faculty, staff, and students a diverse inventory of high-end scientific equipment as well as a wide range of services offered by 14 core facilities staffed with highly skilled scientists. In addition, our staff trains the research faculty, staff, and students to use the scientific equipment. Through the RRC, researchers also have access to statistical and computational support for data handling, data transfer, and interpretation of experimental results. The RRC Scientific Store supports research on campus by supplying over 1300 items while Scientific Instrument Shop can fabricate one-of-a-kind models and repair various as well as complex scientific equipment. The RRC also welcomes external users doing scientific research.