The BEMF is intended to create the infrastructure for routine structure determination of biological macromolecules and their assemblies by electron cryo-microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction. The scientific program of the Facility includes a variety of themes, including 3D structure of viruses, cytoskeleton proteins and their interactions (actin and actin-binding proteins, actin bundles, motors: dynein), and single particle projects (LDL, BtuB receptor etc.). Researchers using the Facility have published structures of human pathogens that cause diseases such as Polio, Dengue Hemhoragic Fever and West Nile Fever. 

The BEMF is operated by the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University. The Resource is part of the recently organized Purdue EM Consortium. The Facility is available to researchers from the academic and not-for-profit biomedical community needing the specialized equipment required for such structural studies. It should be noted the EM Consortium has a General Users Cluster (Life Science Microscopy Facility) intended to provide Purdue scientists with access to instrumentation in electron and light microscopy, service and  training oriented towards Life Science research.