Leonel Malacrida, PhD. (Advanced Bioimaging Unit - IPMon-Udelar) journey to advanced bioimaging started during his PhD research in biophysics in Uruguay when he first studied lung surfactant -a biofilm coating the lung interior that enables us to breathe- and wanted to understand this biological material at the molecular level. During his postdoc at the Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics at the University of California, Irvine, he delved into opportunities using advanced microscopy to quantitatively evaluate biology. Leonel is particularly interested in developing methods to image cells hidden in deep layers of tissues not accessible to normal microscopes. As an Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the Universidad de la República of Uruguay, he recently established the Advanced Bioimaging Unit, a world-class facility for the development of novel instrumentation and for providing services and training to researchers throughout Uruguay. He is deeply committed to training the next generation of young researchers in modern advanced microscopy.