Welcome to the Biteen Lab

We are achieving real-time, nanoscale insight into microbiology with single-molecule tracking, quantitative microscopy, and super-resolution imaging of living cells.

Research Overview
  • A group of eleven people stands outdoors in front of a decorative arch, smiling at the camera. Trees and greenery are visible in the background on a bright day.
    Biteen Lab – Spring 2026
  • A dark laboratory setup with beams of red and green laser light reflecting off mirrors and optical equipment on a metal table, creating a network of glowing paths across the scene.
    The optics table
  • A diagram comparing standard and super-resolution microscopy, showing blurry and sharper images of molecules, their spatial differences, and the process of improved localization over time.
    Single-molecule super-resolution imaging
  • A group of eleven people stand outdoors in bright sunlight, smiling at the camera. They are dressed casually, with trees and green grass visible in the background.
    Biteen Lab – Fall 2024
  • Diagram of four bacterial cell structures: BR-body, Nucleoid, ParB-parS cluster, and Carboxysome, each with a zoomed-in section showing their internal molecular organization.
    Condensation and phase separation in microbes
  • Diagram showing a gene silencing pathway with proteins and histone modifications, and microscopy images tracking protein movement within a cell nucleus, highlighted by yellow, blue, and orange arrows. Scale bar is 1 µm.
    Epigenetic regulation in fission yeast
  • A group of sixteen people, including adults and children, stand smiling on a green lawn with trees in the background. Some wear casual summer clothing, and two young girls stand in front.
    Biteen Lab – Summer 2019
  • Six scientific images show particle trajectories (in black/yellow and red), point spread functions, and corresponding blurry images, with a 500 nm scale bar on the rightmost image displaying a red tracked path.
    Developing new single-molecule methods
  • Two grayscale micrographs of rod-shaped bacteria on the left, and a color micrograph on the right showing green and orange rod-shaped bacteria, with a 2-micrometer scale bar.
    Imaging in obligate anaerobic cells
  • Thirteen adults and two children stand on grass, smiling and posing with playful hand gestures in a wooded outdoor area.
    Biteen Lab – Summer 2014
  • Two panels: left, a single bacterium with colored lines inside; right, many rod-shaped bacteria in grayscale. A yellow arrow points from left to right. Both panels have black scale bars in the bottom corners.
    Understanding the human gut microbiome
  • Diagram shows DNA replication machinery, bacterial cell images highlighting a focus (red circle), and heatmaps comparing wild type versus mutant bacteria, emphasizing molecular localization. Scale bars included.
    Measuring DNA replication and repair
  • A teal, bean-shaped object with a glowing blue tail lies on a grid of glowing yellow triangles, creating a sci-fi or digital aesthetic.
    Plasmon-enhanced imaging in living cells
  • Seven people stand in a row on grass in a park, with trees and sunlight in the background. They are facing the camera and smiling, dressed in casual clothing.
    Biteen Lab – Summer 2011
  • A dark laboratory setup with multiple red and blue lasers intersecting across a metal optical table, mirrors, lenses, and scientific equipment reflecting colorful lights.
    Mutli-color microscopy
  • A gold nanoparticle emits red light with arrows indicating fields. Graphs show wavelength shifts. Below, Dye and AuNP are labeled on a surface, each marked with a star and orange sphere respectively.
    Plasmonic polarization and spectrum reshaping

Research Themes

Three heatmap images show a bright spot moving inside an oval over time (1.88s, 4.80s, 16.00s). At right, colored lines trace movement in the oval; color bar shows time from blue (0s) to red (15s). Scale bar shown below.

Live-Cell Single-Molecule Tracking in Bacteria

Diagram of a bacterial cell showing a magnified view of the cytoplasm, highlighting a dense, tangled network of black lines with blue ovals and purple dashed segments inside the cell.

Super-Resolving Condensation and Stress Response in Bacteria

Diagram showing RNA, RNA Pol II, Swi6HP1, and Clr4Suv39h proteins interacting with methylated H3K9 on nucleosomes, leading to gene silencing. Arrows and marks indicate molecular interactions and silencing pathway.

Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Dynamics in Yeast

Diagram showing brown helices with arrows on the left, yellow oval shapes on the right, and complex molecular structures between them. Red lines extend from the ovals, indicating interaction or energy transfer.

Nanotechnology and Advanced Optics for Bioimaging

Core Values

The Biteen Lab is committed to defining what it is to be a scientist in the 21st century. The lab is a safe space where members with a diversity of backgrounds and goals develop as scientists and community members. We are committed to establishing a welcoming place for all and a culture in which people from marginalized groups can thrive.

Read More about our Core Values

Latest News

  • Welcome new team members!
    The fall semester is off to a great start, and we’re thrilled to welcome three new PhD students to the group: Maya, Krishangee, and Jayavi!
  • A woman in a light blazer stands next to a podium with a laptop and microphones, holding a remote and presenting her summer research with grace in a classroom or lecture hall.
    Congrats to Grace on a great summer of research!
    After spending the summer studying mechanistic aspects of antibiotic resistance with single-molecule imaging through the University of Michigan Biophysics REU program, Grace gave a great end-of-semester presentation at our Undergraduate Research Symposium.
  • Prof. Luis Ortiz-Rodríguez, wearing glasses and a gray sweater, stands smiling in front of a leafy green background—perhaps contemplating the exciting journey of starting his own lab.
    Farewell to Prof. Luis Ortiz-Rodríguez, who is starting his own lab this month!
    We said goodbye to Luis last week, and we look forward to celebrating his successes as he starts as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Marlyand, College Park! https://chem.umd.edu/people/luis-ortiz-rodriguez
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