Optical microscopy is probably the most used instrumental technique in life sciences as imaging cells, tissues and synthetic biomaterials is a cornerstone of many biomedical engineering projects. This course will provide the fundamental understanding about optical microscopy necessary to properly design, execute and analyse an imaging experiment. The most common techniques in bioimaging such as brightfield, epifluorescence, confocal and super-resolution microscopy will be discussed and their advantages and disadvantages analysed to provide to the students the knowledge to choose the best technique for a specific research question. The course will include a practical session where sample preparation, imaging and image analysis will be performed by the students. The course therefore covers the theoretical and practical aspects of optical microscopy and will focus on its use in biomedical engineering fields such as nanomedicine, regenerative medicine, chemical and cell biology.