2026 MSA Professional Technical Staff Awards (PTSA)

The MSA Professional Technical Staff Awards (PTSA) were established by the MSA Technologists’ Forum in 1996–1997 to recognize the essential contributions of professional technical staff, encourage their active participation in the annual Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) conference, and promote institutional support for their professional development, networking, and scientific exchange. During the meeting registration process, eligible professional technical staff may indicate their interest in being considered for the award. Each year, two awardees are selected— one from the biological sciences and one from the physical/analytical sciences— based on the quality and merit of their first-authored paper submitted for presentation at M&M. Abstracts are reviewed by the MSA Technologists’ Forum governing board, and final candidates are reviewed to confirm that they are employed in a technical position, are current members of MSA, and plan to attend the full meeting. The PTSA provides full meeting registration, along with reimbursement of up to $1,000 for travel, lodging, and related expenses. The awards are presented during the plenary session at the M&M opening ceremonies. It is my pleasure to recognize the 2026 recipients of the Professional Technical Staff Awards in the biological and physical/analytical sciences categories. These awardees were selected based on the strength of their first-authored proceedings paper submissions and represent the skill, dedication, and scientific impact of professional technical staff within the microscopy community. Joseph Mowery is an ­electron microscopy specialist with deep expertise in BioEM research, advanced imaging facility operations, and EM technology adoption. His experience includes managing the daily operations of a major EM facility at the USDA, driving instrument sales across 12 systems at ZEISS Microscopy, and now leading diverse BioEM research projects at the University of Maryland–Baltimore, all while co-authoring more than 70 peer-reviewed publications. With a strong record spanning research, facility leadership, sales, applications, service, and marketing, Joseph aims to continue advancing EM adoption through commercial strategy or to contribute directly to impactful BioEM research within an advanced imaging facility [1]. This year, Joseph submitted his first-authored 2026 M&M paper, entitled “Dual-layer Absorptive Mounting Preparation for Cryo-SEM Imaging of Hydrated Biological Specimens.” The paper describes a practical cryo-SEM preparation method designed to address a common challenge in imaging hydrated biological samples: removing excess surface liquid before freezing while preserving native specimen morphology. The method, termed DAMP-CryoSEM, uses a dual-layer mounting approach in which a smooth polycarbonate track-etched membrane sits over an absorptive filter layer, allowing excess liquid to wick away by capillary action immediately before plunge freezing. This helps prevent amorphous ice from obscuring ultrastructural features while minimizing dehydration, wrinkling, or collapse of delicate specimens. Joseph and his co-authors evaluated the DAMP-CryoSEM workflow across multiple biological specimens, including Candida auris, Leishmania donovani, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the plant-parasitic nematode Hemicycliophora gracilis. The method produced reproducible preservation of native surface morphology with clean specimen backgrounds and reduced preparation artifacts, enabling visualization of fine structural details in small, soft-bodied, and highly hydrated samples. By offering a simple, reproducible workflow that can be adopted by laboratories with existing cryo-SEM capabilities, the paper presents DAMP-CryoSEM as a useful advance for researchers studying hydrated biological specimens where native ultrastructure is critical. Joseph Mowery, Lead EM Research Specialist at the University of Maryland– Baltimore. Dr. Tymofii (Tim) Pieshkov is a research scientist at the University of Missouri–Columbia, supporting a wide range of advanced characterization techniques, including HRTEM, STEM, 4D-STEM, EELS, electron diffraction, and cryo-EM, with capabilities for high-temperature and cryogenic experiments. He earned his BS in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine in 2020, after which he joined the Applied Physics graduate program at Rice University. During his first two years at Rice, he worked under the guidance of Dr. Han while completing his master’s degree, focusing his research on 2D nanomaterials, interfacial structures, and data-processing approaches to improve STEM-EDX signal quality. After defending his master’s thesis, Tymofii joined Dr. Ajayan’s research lab to continue his doctoral studies. He has since completed his PhD, with research focused on the growth and doping of diamonds to transform it from an insulating material into a semiconductor [1,2]. This year, Dr. Pieshkov submitted a first-authored paper to Nano Letters describing strain-induced electrical conductivity in diamond nanowires. The study experimentally demonstrated that applying mechanical strain with an atomic force microscopy cantilever can significantly increase conductivity in diamond nanowires, while mechanical testing showed that the nanowires can undergo substantial elastic bending and tensile deformation before fracture. Supported by finite element simulations, the work provides direct evidence that strain can tune the electrical behavior of nanoscale diamond, highlighting its potential for durable nanoelectronics, quantum technologies, and biomedical applications [3]. At M&M 2026, Dr. Pieshkov will be presenting work entitled “Diamond Nanowire Lift-Out Sample Preparation for TEM Analysis and Mechanical Experiments,” which describes a practical SEM-based workflow for transferring fragile diamond nanowires from reactive ion etched substrates onto target substrates for advanced characterization. The work addresses common challenges in nanowire manipulation, including charging effects, surface contamination, wire instability, and damage during transfer, while offering solutions using accessible SEM manipulators such as Omniprobe or EasyLift systems. By refining lift-out and welding strategies with Pt or C deposition, Dr. Pieshkov demonstrates successful transfer of diamond ­nanowires for TEM/STEM analysis, conductive AFM measurements, in situ SEM mechanical testing, and heating-chip experiments, with potential applicability to other nano­wire systems such as Si and GaN. Tymofii Pieshkov, Research Scientist at the University of Missouri–Columbia.