Mary-Ann Mycek Reflects on Transformative Era for BME
During her tenure as chair and interim chair, Dr. Mycek oversaw an unprecedented expansion in the department’s research and academic footprint.
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Mary-Ann Mycek, William and Valerie Hall Chair and Professor, Biomedical Engineering, has announced she will step down from her role as department chair at the close of 2025, highlighting a dynamic period of growth, innovation, and achievement for U-M BME.
The announcement was made official by Karen Thole, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, College of Engineering, and Thomas Wang, Dean, University of Michigan Medical School, Josiah Macy, Jr. Professor of Health Professions Education, Chief Academic Officer, Michigan Medicine, in a joint message to the BME community. Following Regental approval finalized on October 16, Doug Noll, the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Co-Director of U-M’s Functional MRI Laboratory, will serve as interim chair starting January 1, 2026, while a search for a permanent chair launches.
A Legacy of Growth and Impact
During her tenure as chair and interim chair, Dr. Mycek oversaw an unprecedented expansion in the department’s research and academic footprint. Under her leadership, BME welcomed 16 new core faculty members and celebrated three new collegiate or endowed professorships. Research expenditures rose by nearly 50% to $27 million, and the department’s flagship Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program—a $20 million endowment established 20 years ago—continues to catalyze clinical impact. In the most recent funding round, the Coulter program awarded $1.4 million to 13 multidisciplinary teams.
Demand for BME’s renowned programs also skyrocketed, with enrollment reaching a record 760 students—a 37% jump since Fall 2020—and undergraduate ranks rising 48%, making BME one of the top ten most popular majors on the Ann Arbor campus. Notably, the department launched the first degree innovation in graduate education in over half a century, debuting a new Master’s of Engineering program.
Reflecting on these milestones, Dr. Mycek shared her thoughts. “I have been honored to serve our department, the College of Engineering, the Medical School, and the university in a variety of roles over the years,” she said. “The collaborative spirit and dedication I’ve witnessed in BME are unparalleled. Together, we have built new opportunities for students, faculty, and staff—and transformed what’s possible in the field.”
Community and Collaboration at the Core
Dr. Mycek’s approach was shaped by openness and engagement, including department-wide listening tours that led to initiatives ranging from faculty compensation equity to improved medical school faculty hiring, enhanced communications and marketing, and new professional development pathways for staff.
“To those faculty and staff who took the time to meet with me during our listening tours—thank you! Your candor set the stage for many key initiatives that have truly changed the department,” Dr. Mycek reflected. She also extends special thanks to the department’s associate chairs, program directors, committee chairs, and the student services team, saying, “You have led the way in meeting the growing demand for our courses, while creating capacity for innovative changes to our curriculum.”
She also developed an ongoing framework for continuous improvement in BME education, meeting regularly each year with department leadership, student services staff members, and groups of undergraduate, Master’s, and doctoral students to collect candid feedback on student experiences in BME’s degree programs.
“I am immensely grateful to our faculty, students, staff, and administrators for your dedication to BME’s mission. Our community has never been stronger, and none of our major or day-to-day accomplishments would have been possible without you,” Dr. Mycek added.
A Pioneering Career in Research and Education
A leader in biomedical photonics, Dr. Mycek conducts translational research developing optical science and engineering methods to quantitatively probe living cells and tissues. Her work aims to advance non- and minimally-invasive biophotonic diagnostics that improve patient care. Her research spans optical molecular imaging, clinical diagnostics, and computational modeling, with applications in areas such as early cancer detection, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
The scope and significance of Dr. Mycek’s contributions to science and engineering are evidenced by her peer-reviewed publications (over 175 journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings), scientific presentations (over 165 invited and contributed talks and posters), and intellectual property (seven issued U.S. patents). Dozens of students and fellows who trained in her laboratory now work in industry or academia.
Dr. Mycek’s contributions to research and education in the sciences and engineering have been recognized throughout her faculty career. As an assistant professor at Dartmouth College, she was awarded a Career Enhancement Fellowship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a Mentor Recognition Award from the Women in Science Program, and she was named the Edward and Joan Foley Faculty Fellow. For five years, she was a course faculty member in the Analytical & Quantitative Light Microscopy workshop held at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. For four years, she served as a Microscopic Imaging & Spectroscopy Study Section Member for the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health. She served as an associate editor for the Journal of Biomedical Optics for 10 years and currently serves as an editorial board member for Scientific Reports.
At Michigan, Dr. Mycek was honored to receive the Award for Outstanding Accomplishment from the BME Department and to be elected by her faculty peers to the executive board of the Rackham Graduate School. She served as an associate chair of the BME Department twice: first as director of the BME graduate programs and later as the associate chair for translational research. She was honored to be nominated and elected to fellowship in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a group of outstanding bioengineers representing the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community in academia, industry and government, and to fellowship in SPIE – The International Society for Optics and Photonics.
Driving Academic Excellence and Innovation
Previously, Dr. Mycek served as Michigan Engineering’s associate dean for graduate and professional education. As associate dean she served as the chief academic officer for graduate education in the College of Engineering and was responsible for the education and welfare of over 3,600 CoE Master’s and Ph.D. students engaged in over 60 graduate engineering degree programs. She was also responsible for the education and welfare of over 1,900 CoE online students and lifelong professional education learners.
As associate dean, she co-led the education pillar of our ME2020 strategic vision and launched several college-wide initiatives for faculty, students, and staff, including the Master’s application readers program, the NextProf Nexus future faculty workshop, the Consultation, Assistance, and Resources in Engineering (C.A.R.E.) Center, and the unit that is now known as Michigan Engineering Online & Professional Education.
As the BME department looks to the future, Dr. Mycek expressed her ongoing support for BME’s faculty and staff. “To my more senior colleagues—I am grateful for your collegiality and your ongoing dedication over the years,” she said. “To our newest faculty and staff—you have joined a great university and community. I have every confidence in BME’s bright future.”
Looking Ahead
Dean Thole and Dean Wang praised Dr. Mycek’s “transformational leadership, collegiality, and commitment,” emphasizing that the department’s forward momentum will continue under the upcoming guidance of Dr. Noll. The search committee for the next permanent chair will begin its work this fall, with further updates to follow.
The BME community extends its gratitude to Dr. Mycek for her remarkable tenure and achievements and wishes her success as she begins this new chapter.