Mary-Ann Mycek

Mary-Ann Mycek is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in condensed matter physics and ultrafast optical spectroscopy, followed by postdoctoral training in laser medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Mycek began her academic career as an assistant professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at Dartmouth College in 1998. She joined the University of Michigan faculty in 2003 as an associate professor in Biomedical Engineering, was awarded tenure in 2006, and promoted to full professor in 2012. Her research program in the Biomedical Photonics Laboratory develops and applies methods of optical science and engineering to quantitatively probe living cells and tissues, focusing on optical molecular imaging, clinical optical diagnostics, and computational modeling for quantitative tissue diagnostics. Applications include early cancer detection, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine, with the goal of advancing non- and minimally-invasive biophotonic diagnostic technologies to impact patient care.

Throughout her career at Michigan Engineering, Mycek has held significant leadership roles, including twice serving as associate chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department—first as director of its Master’s and doctoral graduate programs and later as associate chair for translational research. She was appointed associate dean for graduate education in 2016, with responsibilities expanding in 2018 to graduate and professional education, overseeing more than 3,600 Master’s and Ph.D. students across over 60 programs and 1,900 online learners. In 2021, she became interim chair of Biomedical Engineering, followed by her appointment as the William and Valerie Hall Department Chair in 2023, a position she held until the end of 2025. Mycek has authored over 175 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings, delivered more than 165 scientific presentations, and holds seven issued U.S. patents. Her honors include election to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2014, fellowship in SPIE in 2017, the Award for Outstanding Accomplishment from the Biomedical Engineering Department, and service as associate editor for the Journal of Biomedical Optics for 10 years and current editorial board member for Scientific Reports. She has mentored dozens of students and fellows now in industry and academia.

Professional Email: mycek@umich.edu