Discover Nature:

The Final Frontier

When designing new products, materials, or engineering solutions, you’re bound to encounter challenges.

Lichen Labs is here to help. We connect biology, engineering, and design with biomimicry to unravel nature’s secrets and translate them into real-world applications.

Advanced Analysis

Lichen Labs specializes in advanced microscopy and materials analysis to solve complex design and engineering challenges. Led by Susan Okerstrom—an award-winning materials scientist with decades of experience in product development, failure analysis, and microstructural characterization—we apply cutting-edge techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy, and elemental analysis to uncover root causes, optimize materials, and improve product performance.

Our approach begins with understanding your challenges:

What engineering or design issues are you facing?
When did they first emerge, and what has already been tried?
Where are the breakdowns, and what are your worst-case examples?

By examining materials and products down to the micro and nanoscale, we uncover critical insights that drive innovation, enhance reliability, and extend product life.

Whether you’re in early-stage development, manufacturing, or addressing field failures, our analytical expertise empowers you to move forward with clarity and confidence. Where appropriate, we also connect biology, engineering, and design through biomimicry—drawing inspiration from nature’s time-tested strategies to inform sustainable, high-performance, real-world solutions.

Let us help you see what others might miss—one micron at a time.

Microanalysis & Biomimicry Services

We offer a variety of services to support your R&D and problem-solving needs.

Consultation Services

Get a fresh perspective on engineering and design challenges by spending an hour with an innovator, materials scientist, and biomimicry expert.

Explorer Package

Dive deeper into microscopy analysis with a package that includes Virtual SEM, Light Microscopy, Analysis, and Interpretation.

Monthly Microscopy Analysis

Receive ongoing, in-person or live Zoom access to SEM, Light Microscopy, and EDS analysis at reduced rates. Our subscription includes sample preparation, analysis, and expert interpretation.

Learn About Lichen Labs

Lichen Labs is led by Sue Okerstrom, an expert in biomimicry and materials science with a background in medical device innovation at Medtronic Inc. Okerstrom is one of the first scientists to hold an MS in Biomimicry from Arizona State University. As a seasoned problem solver, Okerstrom brings award-winning expertise and a passion for nature-inspired innovation to every project.