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About

Bridget Carragher is a pioneering structural biologist whose career has been defined by transforming cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) from a labor-intensive manual process into a streamlined, automated discipline. Her research spans specimen preparation, robotic instrumentation, and workflow automation, with a particular focus on solving the persistent technical challenges that limit cryo-EM's resolution and throughput. Among her most significant contributions is her work addressing a fundamental problem in sample preparation: the tendency of protein particles to adsorb to air-water interfaces during vitrification, causing preferential orientations that compromise data quality. Her 2018 paper tackling this issue has garnered over 237 citations, reflecting its outsized impact on the field. Alongside this, Carragher has championed the development of Spotiton, an innovative robotic vitrification system enabling time-resolved cryo-EM studies that capture fleeting molecular states — work that has attracted over 150 citations. Her earlier contributions include robotic grid loading systems and automated crystal screening pipelines, demonstrating a consistent vision of high-throughput, intelligent microscopy workflows. Through developing multiplexed specimen preparation strategies and AI-assisted preprocessing pipelines, Carragher has helped democratize structural biology, making high-quality cryo-EM accessible to a broader scientific community.