Julie Suzanne Biteen (she/her/hers)
Janine Maddock Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and of Biophysics
Julie has been applying her passions for optics, imaging, and biophysics to solving scientific problems for over 20 years. In addition to critical thinking, she loves scientific communication, teaching, and building a diverse, interdisciplinary, and international research community. Outside of work, this Canadian expat enjoys travel, eating, outdoor sports, and time with family.
Resume (pdf)
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Luis Ortiz-Rodríguez (he/him/his)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Michigan Life Sciences Fellow
Luis comes from Luquillo, PR and graduated with his B.S. in Biology from University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Campus. He earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, where he scrutinized the excited state dynamics and electronic relaxation pathways of thionated heavy-atom-free photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy applications. In the Biteen Lab, he is developing next-generation methods for measuring subcellular interactions in living microbial cells. Luis also enjoys exercising, concerts, eating, and watching sports.
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Ishika (she/her/hers)
PhD Student, Biophysics
Ishika is from Haryana, in northern India. She earned a bachelor's in Chemistry from U. Delhi, and a master's in Chemistry from IIT Delhi, where she studied the kinetics of polyphenol degradation in almost aqueous conditions and collaborated to identify inhibitors against the neurological illness ALS; she is broadly interested in spectroscopy and biology. In her free time, Ishika enjoys sketching, badminton, listening to music, spending time with friends, and—more recently—learning to ice skate.
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Sam Steen (he/him/his)
PhD Student, Program in Chemical Biology
Sam grew up in Rocky Hill, New Jersey. He attended Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI, earning a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology. His undergraduate research was on the dynamics and morphology of the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum, and one result of this research was his long-term interest in fluorescence and super-resolution microscopy. In his spare time, Sam enjoys reading, board games, and all things outdoors.
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Ulises Perez
PhD Student, Chemistry
Ulises was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, where his undergraduate research focused on using Raman spectroscopy to study polymer gene delivery vehicles. Outside the lab, Ulises enjoys cars, art, and boxing.
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Ruochuan Huang
PhD Student, Biophysics
Ruochuan is from Guangzhou, China. She earned her B.S. degree in Physics from Pennsylvania State University, where she focused her undergraduate research on studying the kinetics of ribozymes under in-vivo-like conditions. Outside the lab, Ruochuan enjoys playing badminton, baking, and arts.
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Anna Jensen
PhD Student, Chemistry
Anna grew up in Houston, Texas, and she earned a B.S. in chemistry at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. In her undergraduate research, she used HPLC to optimize the separation of flavonoid compounds. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing board games, spending time with friends, and crocheting.
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Lyn Wang (she/her/hers)
PhD Student, Chemistry
Lyn grew up in Sydney, Australia, before moving to Columbus, Ohio. She earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Cincinnati with a minor in Astrophysics. Her previous research focused on mosquito behavior and physiology, with a summer REU focused on distant mid-infrared imaging using JWST, which led her to her interests into physical chemistry. In her spare time, Lyn likes to play video games, read, and try new foods.
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Yuhan Lin
PhD Student, Chemistry
Yuhan was born and raised in Shijiazhuang, Beijing. She earned her B.S. degree in chemistry from Peking University with a second major in psychology. Her undergraduate research was focused on fluorescence single-particle tracking of isolated mitochondria. Outside the lab, she loves playing video games and reading mystery novels.
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Kyra Sherman (she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Technician
Kyra is an undergraduate student from Chicago, IL. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and Biophysics. After graduating, Kyra plans to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with friends, and baking.
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Charles Baker
Undergraduate Researcher
Charlie grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He is majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Data Science. After graduating, Charlie plans to attend graduate school for biochemistry and later pursue a career in medical science. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, baking, and playing tennis.
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Grace Sharon
Undergraduate Researcher
Grace grew up in Dexter, Michigan. She is majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating, Grace plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, exploring local coffee shops, and coming up with new running routes.
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Sean Goodson
High School Researcher
Sean Goodson is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Currently, Sean intends to seek further education in the field of physics. Sean plans to pursue a career in optics. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with family and playing music.
Join Our Team – Open Positions!
There are lots of opportunities to get involved in our work! I am very interested in hearing from energetic University of Michigan students who would like to learn more about my new research group. PhD rotation positions are available for 2026-2027 (please see these links for info about applying to the Chemistry PhD program and the Biophysics PhD program). Interested UM freshman and sophomores should apply to work in the lab via the UROP program, and motivated undergrads should check out the UM Chemistry and Biophysics NSF REU Programs.
