Lab Members

Group Photo Above: Top row from L to R: Dr. Tanmay Chatterjee, Dr. Shankar Mandal, Dr. Katelyn Green, Dr. Aaron Blanchaerd, Karen Montoya, Dr. Li Zi, Dr. Adrien Chauvier, Saffron Little, Dr. Robb Welty, Dr. Andreas Schmidt, Dr. Surajit Chatterjee, Kunal Khanna, Liuhan Dai, Two family guests
Bottom Row from L to R: Four family guests, Mason Myers, Guoming Gao, Emily Ellinger, Rosa Romero, Laura Penabad-Peña, Dr. Elizabeth Duran, Dr. Catie Scull, Dr. Nils Walter
Absent: Damon Hoff, Martina Jerant, Several undergrads

Principal Investigator

Prof. Nils Walter, Ph.D. : Principal Investigator

Prof. Nils Walter, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

nwalter@umich.edu

Hi, I'm Nils Walter, lucky to be the mentor and coach of a young, dynamic, and interactive group, where my main job is to help everyone excel in their research. Over the years we have developed and applied many leading-edge single molecule microscopy tools to understand the mechanisms of RNA biology, from RNA enzymes and riboswitches to the spliceosome and RNA silencing machinery. We also work on CRISPR and DNA nanotechnology, and have developed a molecular diagnostics tools that can reliably detect single biomarkers of disease (leading to foundation of a biotech company!). Students and postdocs in my group get both a broad and a deep education with skills that translate into the real world, from academia to industry. I have an "open-door" policy, so please stop by if you have a question, or seek us out on Twitter!
Curriculum Vitae

Office: 734-615-2060

Assistant Research Scientist

Alexander Johnson-Buck : Assistant Research Scientist

Alexander Johnson-Buck

Assistant Research Scientist

alebuck@umich.edu

Alex Johnson-Buck received his B.A. in Chemistry from Northern Michigan University, Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. He also has experience as a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Harvard Medical School/Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering) and Chief Scientific Officer in a startup company spun out of the University of Michigan. His research interests lie in analytical and biophysical methods development at the interface of single-molecule detection and molecular engineering, with a focus on controlling and exploiting precision kinetic processes.

Lab Managers

Dr. Tanmay Chatterjee :

Dr. Tanmay Chatterjee

tanmayc@umich.edu

Tanmay received his M.Sc. from University of Burdwan and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata (IISER KOLKATA). He joined the Walter lab as a postdoc in May, 2017. His current research focus is on ultra sensitive protein detection by Single- Molecule Recognition through Equilibrium Poisson Sampling (SiMREPS) method. (Member since 2017)
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Dr. Adrien Chauvier : Lab Manager-Biology

Dr. Adrien Chauvier

Lab Manager-Biology

achauvie@umich.edu

Adrien obtained his B.Sc and M.Sc. in Microbiology Agrobioscience from the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. During his PhD, he worked on riboswitch regulation with Daniel Lafontaine at the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. In the Walter lab, Adrien is applying biochemical and single molecule techniques to understand how Non-coding RNAs modulate the dynamic of the transcription machinery. (Member Since 2017)
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Postdoctoral Fellows

Laxmikanta Khamari : Postdoctoral Fellow

Laxmikanta Khamari

Postdoctoral Fellow

khamaril@umich.edu

Laxmikanta obtained his B.Sc (2014) in chemistry from Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India, and his M.Sc (2016) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati), Assam, India. Thereafter, he received his Ph.D. degree from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER Bhopal), India. In his doctoral research, he mainly focused on the investigations of protein-drug and nucleic acid-small-molecule interactions in the ensemble-average and single-molecule domains. He joined the Walter lab as a postdoc in March 2023. In Walter lab, his current research focuses on using single-molecule microscopy to investigate protein-RNA complexes including those involved neurodegenerative disease.

Namra Siddiqui : Postdoctoral Fellow

Namra Siddiqui

Postdoctoral Fellow

namsid@umich.edu

I obtained my M.Sc. degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2018 and Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2023. My doctoral research focused on the regulation of gene expression by small noncoding RNAs, specifically investigating how they modulate physiological circuits at the post-transcriptional level. In my current role, I am using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to explore RNA silencing pathways.

Dr. Pavel Banerjee : Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Pavel Banerjee

Postdoctoral Fellow

pavjee@umich.edu

Pavel received his B.Sc (2013) and M.Sc. (2015) in Chemistry (Physical Chemistry Specialization) from Visva Bharati University and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) in 2021. During his PhD, he unveiled the self-assembling behaviors of biological building block molecules and their membrane activity through fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy. Then he moved to University of Copenhagen, Denmark for one-year postdoctoral research on single molecule studies of Na K ATPase transporter. He joined the Walter lab as a postdoc in April 2022. His current research focus is on simultaneous ultra-sensitive detection of different biomolecules in complex bio-environment by Single- Molecule Recognition through Equilibrium Poisson Sampling (SiMREPS) method. (Member since 2022)
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Graduate Students

Emily Holman : Graduate Student

Emily Holman

Graduate Student

eholman@umich.edu

Emily received her BS in Chemistry at Union College in Schenectady, NY. Following graduation she worked as a Research Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at Curia where she worked on the synthesis of potential drug candidates. In 2023 she joined the Chemistry PhD program at the University of Michigan where she is now learning about the role of riboswitches in gene regulation.

Josh Lecuyer : Graduate Student

Josh Lecuyer

Graduate Student

lecuyerj@umich.edu

Josh received his BA in chemistry from Carleton College. His undergraduate work in Dr. Menezes' lab involved the optimization of a biosynthetic pathway in Cupriavidus basilensis to produce PHB, a biodegradable plastic, in microgravity environments.

Alaa Mwafy : Graduate Student

Alaa Mwafy

Graduate Student

alaamw@umich.edu

I am working on the META-SiM model and looking into expanding the website to enable users to perform individual smFRET data analysis steps such as accepting or rejecting traces. I am also hoping to develop predictive models for hybridization kinetics of DNA and RNA molecules.

Brian Quillin : Graduate Student

Brian Quillin

Graduate Student

bquillin@umich.edu

Brian is a Chemistry Ph.D. graduate student who began working towards his degree in the fall of 2024. In his free time, Brian enjoys weightlifting, watching sports, and being outside.

Bisal Halder : Graduate Student

Bisal Halder

Graduate Student

bisal@umich.edu

I did my bachelor's majoring in Chemistry from the University of Calcutta, followed by a master's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. My undergrad project was primarily focused on measuring the solvation dynamics of protein in the crowded milieu using TCSPC and trying to correlate the associated water structure with the stability and activity of protein. On a side project, I also used Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) to track the aggregation of proteins at the nanomolar concentration range.

Armin Ahnoud : Graduate Student

Armin Ahnoud

Graduate Student

aahnoud@med.umich.edu

I completed my BS in Biotechnology from UC Davis. After graduation, I worked at two Biotech companies in the Bay Area working on antibody discovery, bi-specific antibody engineering, protein engineering using directed evolution, and developing ELISA based Pharmacokinetic and anti-drug antibody detection assays. Currently, I am a PhD student in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program.

Emily Sumrall : Graduate Student

Emily Sumrall

Graduate Student

esumrall@umich.edu

Emily is a first year graduate student in the biophysics program. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Mississippi State University. During her undergraduate degree, she worked in Dr. Nicholas Fitzkee’s laboratory on a project aimed at understanding the interactions between Staphylococcal Autolysin domains and polystyrene surfaces. (Member since 2021)

Jingxuan Tang : Graduate Student

Jingxuan Tang

Graduate Student

tjx@umich.edu

I received my B.S. in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison and is starting in the Chemical biology Ph.D. program at U-M. During my undergraduate, I worked in the Dr. John Markley’s lab on solving the structure of human acyl carrier protein with NMR and investigating the interaction of acyl carrier protein with zinc. (Member since 2021) Learn more..

Rotation Students

New rotation students to be added soon.

Cecilia Pilon : Rotation Student

Cecilia Pilon

Rotation Student

ccpilon@umich.edu

Before earning my BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, I completed my associate's degree at Bay College in Escanaba, Michigan. I'm currently a first-year PhD student in the Chemistry program. Pictured with me is my very unhappy and unphotogenic cat, Sunny.

Undergraduate Students

 : Undergraduate Student

Undergraduate Student

neaudre@umich.edu

Audrey Newman is an undergraduate studying biochemistry and German. They plan to graduate in 2026 and then complete a PhD in chemical biology.

Molly Goldwasser : Undergraduate Student

Molly Goldwasser

Undergraduate Student

gomolly@umich.edu

Molly is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry with a minor in computer science. Set to graduate in 2026, she hopes to pursue further education and contribute to health related research.

Seth Shero : Undergraduate Student

Seth Shero

Undergraduate Student

sshero@umich.edu

Seth is an undergraduate student planning to graduate in 2026 with a B.S. in both Biochemistry and Biophysics. After graduation, he plans to pursue his PhD. in molecular genetics and work in biotech/pharmaceutical research.

Nicole Wrubel : Undergraduate Student

Nicole Wrubel

Undergraduate Student

nwrubel@umich.edu

Nicole is an undergraduate student pursuing her B.S. in Biochemistry set to graduate in 2027. After graduating, Nicole hopes to get a PhD to teach and contribute to future research with a balance of Immunology and Chemistry. (Member since 2024).

Allison Myers : Undergraduate Student

Allison Myers

Undergraduate Student

allisom@umich.edu

Allison is a second year undergraduate student studying Biochemistry. After
graduating, she hopes to pursue further education in biochemistry and do
research in the Biotechnology Industry.

Christina Huerta-Stylianou : Undergraduate Student

Christina Huerta-Stylianou

Undergraduate Student

chuersty@umich.edu

Christina is an undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and
Developmental Biology and planning on graduating in 2028. She aims to
pursue a PhD and conduct research in molecular genetics

Jonathan Wang : Undergraduate Student

Jonathan Wang

Undergraduate Student

jowacroi@umich.edu

Jonathan is an undergraduate student planning to graduate in 2028 with a
BS degree in Chemistry. After graduation, he plans to obtain a MS in Chemical
Biology.

Vivien Wang : Undergraduate Student

Vivien Wang

Undergraduate Student

vivienwa@umich.edu

Vivien is an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry and planning
on graduating in 2027. After graduating, Vivien aims to pursue a PhD and
become a researcher in the life sciences.

Shelby Stakenas : UROP Undergraduate Researcher

Shelby Stakenas

UROP Undergraduate Researcher

smae@umich.edu

(Member since 2022)

 

 

Staff

Dr. Damon Hoff : SMART Center Manager

Dr. Damon Hoff

SMART Center Manager

hoffj@umich.edu

J. Damon Hoff manages the Center for Single Molecule Analysis in Real-Time (SMART Center), a shared use facility housed in the Dept. of Biophysics at the University of Michigan that offers a suite of single-molecule microscopes and analysis tools. He obtained his B.S.E. in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke University, and continued his studies at the University of Michigan, obtaining his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, developing optical tools for manipulation of biomolecules, including nanoscale ultrafast laser ablation and optical tweezers. He now manages the day-to-day activities at the SMART Center and facilitates user training, experimental planning, and analysis. (Member since 2013, SMART center phone: 734-763-5449)
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