Published: 23-06-2022 07:58 | Updated: 17-10-2022 09:19

Lennart Nilsson Award 2022 is awarded to Martin Oeggerli

Science photographer Martin Oeggerli is the recipient of the 2022 Lennart Nilsson Award for his ability to illuminate science.

Artistic coloration of the microbiome present in a human gut.
Artistic coloration of the microbiome present in a healthy human gut, containing billions of intestinal bacteria. This image has been created using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with selectively assigning different colors to different bacteria species and structures. Copyrights: © Martin Oeggerli / Micronaut (2015), supported by Pathology, University Hospital Basel, HP Marti, Swiss TPH, and School of Life Sciences, FHNW. Photo: Martin Oeggerli.

Dr Martin Oeggerli at  Micronaut GmbH, Basel, Switzerland, holds a PhD in medical molecular biology. Since 2005, he works as a freelance science photographer, collaborating with scientists in Basel and elsewhere.

Martin Oeggerli uses the scanning electron microscope to image invisibly small organisms and biological structures, which he then painstakingly colors to bring out their inherent beauty. The stunning images help us understand the intricacies of nature’s designs and make biology accessible to everyone.

Motivation:

Dr. Martin Oeggerli is the recipient of the Lennart Nilsson Award 2022 in recognition of his ability to illuminate science and reveal the beauty of the microcosm using the scanning electron microscope.

This hand-colored scanning electron micrograph shows the star-like shape of an activated dendritic cell and its interactions with surrounding cells.
Dendritic Cell (H. sapiens) Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells that play an important role in the immune system. This hand-colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) shows the star-like shape of an activated dendritic cell (at center) and its interactions with surrounding cells. Copyrights: © Martin Oeggerli / Micronaut (2015), supported by Pathology, University Hospital Basel and School of Life Sciences, FHNW. Photo: Martin Oeggerli

The Lennart Nilsson Award Foundation was established in 1998 in recognition of the world-renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson and his extraordinary body of work. The main aim is to promote education, training, and research within the medical, biological, and engineering sciences through the use of images. This is achieved through the Lennart Nilsson Award, an international award bestowed annually upon an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions within the realm of scientific photography.