SCOTT CHIMILESKI

Scott Chimileski, PhD

Bio

I am a microbiologist, imaging specialist and educator based in Woods Hole, MA, where I am a Research Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). From 2015 to 2019 I was a postdoctoral fellow in the Kolter Lab within the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School. During that time, Roberto Kolter and I guest curated the exhibition Microbial Life: A Universe at the Edge of Sight, open at the Harvard Museum of Natural History from February 2018 through March 2022. We also coauthored Life at the Edge of Sight: A Photographic Exploration of the Microbial World, published by Harvard University Press in 2017.

This website is a catalog of original scientific photography, with specialties in high-resolution macrophotography and timelapse imaging of microbial colonies and behaviors. My collection includes photos  captured at sites around the world where exceptional natural microbial forms flourish, such as Yellowstone National Park. Most images were recorded with my DSLR camera. To learn more about my research field and work as an imaging specialist, I recommend "Seeing the Beautiful Intelligence of Microbes," a multimedia feature from Quanta Magazine. 

My imagery has been published or broadcast by media outlets including National Geographic, WIRED, TIME, The Atlantic, STAT, Fast Company, NPR, The Scientist, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, The Biologist, HHMI  Biointeractive, Tangled Bank Studios, Quanta Magazine, the NIH Director’s Blog, WBUR Boston, The Verge, TED Talks, and CBS Sunday Morning. 

Exhibitions at public venues across the United States, and in Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, Scotland, the UK, and Denmark have featured my imagery and scientific interpretation. Links to some of the exhibitions I have been involved in are on my exhibitions page.

I received a Passion in Science Award in Arts & Creativity from New England Biolabs in 2016, and FASEB BioArt awards in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Lists of publications, journal covers & image credits are on my CV. Some links to interviews & articles about my work are on my media page.

Image use

Written permission and attribution is required for all image usages. Please contact me to inquire about content on this website and from my extended offline catalog. I work with editors, producers, curators, communications professionals and designers from media outlets, science centers, museums, companies and other organizations. Details on usage types are on my Image use page.

Contact

For inquiries about image use, lectures, reviewer assignments, or special projects, please message me through the "Contact" link on this website or via  email. Professional inquires only please.

Email: scott.chimileski@microbephotography.com

At the White Cliffs of Dover, UK. Natural chalk is made of  the fossils  of ancient phytoplankton.