Main Focus
Electron microscopy (EM) is an essential tool for structural characterization at the nanoscale, allowing to connect morphology and internal structure of materials at resolutions as fine as sub-atomic levels. However, its analytical capability is significantly restricted when applied to soft and biological materials which are highly susceptible to damage from high-energy electron radiation.
My research centers on the development of EM-based characterization methods for such radiation-sensitive materials, with a focus on cellulose and other carbohydrates. By utilizing cryogenic and low-dose electron microscopy, I aim to reveal the molecular and supramolecular structural details of this important class of biopolymers.
I am particularly interested in:
- Nanoscale structures of carbohydrates, including supramolecular assemblies and defects
- Morphogenesis of cellulose and chitin microfibrils.
- Histochemical characterization at the nanoscale.
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Yu Ogawa is a Max Planck research group leader (MPRGL, W2) in the Department of Sustainable and Bioinspired Materials at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.
Yu received his Ph.D. degree in Biomaterials science from the University of Tokyo in 2014, where he also received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees. He was a postdoctoral researcher at Cermav-CNRS in the group of Dr. Yoshiharu Nishiyama and Dr. Karim Mazeau (2014–2017) and the University of Cambridge in Prof. Silvia Vignolini’s group (UK, 2017–2018). He started his independent career as a research scientist at Cermav-CNRS in 2018 and moved to MPIKG as a W2 research group reader in 2024.