Our Team

Jitao Zhang, Ph.D.  ​​Principal Investigator

Jitao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and IQ at Michigan State University. Prior to joining MSU, he was an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University from 2021 to 2024. Before that, he spent six years in Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, first as postdoc and later as assistant research professor. Prior to Maryland, he briefly worked at the University of Arizona as a postdoc, where he developed optical spectrometer and devices. He obtained his Ph.D. in optical engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Jitao has been a recipient of several awards, including the Doctoral Dissertation Excellence Award, the Excellent Youth of China Instrument Society scholarship, the Marcy Speer Award for postdoc, the NIH Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25), and the NSF CAREER Award. He has been granted 3 patents on Brillouin technique. He serves on the editorial board of the journal Scientific Reports and is a member of the program committee for the SPIE Photonics West Conference. He is also a guest editor for the Journal of Physics: Photonics.

Office: IQ 4312. Phone: (517) 884 6974
​Email: zhan2399#msu.edu
Chenjun Shi  Graduate Student
​My name is Chenjun Shi. I am pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University. My research interest lies in the intersection of optical technology and biomedical application, where I hope I can use my skillset in optical engineering to address the most crucial challenges in biomedical field. During my Ph.D. study, I will focus on the development of Brillouin spectroscopy and microscopy as well as the biomedical application. I obtained my bachelor and master degree in Optical Engineering in 2018 and 2020, both from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China. I have published several articles and received the China National Scholarship. 
Shahrin Jahan Jaima Graduate Student
My name is Shahrin Jahan Jaima. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Bangladesh in 2023. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University. My research interests span from cell and tissue engineering, biomaterials to bio-instrumentation, and optics. At present, I am actively engaged in groundbreaking research within Dr. Zhang's lab, focusing on the advancement of a less-invasive method for tissue testing known as Brillouin microscopy. Our team is dedicated to refining optical setups and instruments to precisely quantify the mechanical properties of tumor cells and tissues. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills in this dynamic field, aspiring to contribute to advancements in biomedical research.
Daniil Grubich  Research Assistant
My name is Daniil Pavlovich Grubich, a Biomedical Engineering graduate specializing in Bioinstrumentation from Wayne State University. After earning my Bachelor's degree with a 3.99/4.0 GPA, I am poised to start my Master's degree in the same field in Fall 2023. My expertise encompasses various areas including programming languages, data acquisition, image reconstruction, and system actuation. This academic commitment has brought me recognition as the top of my class and a nomination for the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. Beyond my technical skills, I am fluent in Russian and was awarded the Michigan Seal of Biliteracy. I have also developed interpersonal skills through my role as a Senior Lifeguard at the Waterford School District. I am enthusiastic about contributing to biomedical research and development, and I am excited to be a part of the esteemed team.

Alumni


  • ​Karlin Hilai, Master student, BME, 2021.08-2024.06​
  • Man Hue Do, Undergraduate student, BME, 2023-2024
  • ​Marcus Akrawi, Undergraduate/Master student, Physics/BME, 2022-2024
  • Sidharth Veluthakkal, Undergraduate student, BME, 2023-2024
  • Nandhashree M Srinivasaiah, Master student, ECE, 2022.10-2023.03
  • ​Xuan Xuan Tang, Undergraduate student, BME, 2021.08-2023.05
  • ​Ahmed Minhaj, Undergraduate student, CS, 2022.05-2022.08
  • Heden Florn, Undergraduate student, BME, 2022.05-2023.01
  • ​Wessam Nehme, High school student, 2022.06-2022.08
  • Sonnet Xu, High school student, 2023.06-2023.09