Contact Information
Research Areas
Biography
Professor Steves received her B.A. in Chemistry and Art History from Messiah University in 2017. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University in 2022, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and studied the nonlinear optical properties of 2D materials with Kenneth Knappenberger. She later moved to the University of California, Berkeley as an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Scholar in the laboratory of Ke Xu, developing methods to accelerate single-molecule measurements for biological imaging. Megan joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2026.
Research Interests
Experimental physical chemistry, single-molecule biophysics, super-resolution microscopy, molecular transport, molecular interactions at interfaces, nanoscale cell biology, nanomaterials
Research Description
Our group develops new optical microscopy methods to observe chemistry at the level of single molecules, in both living cells and model systems. We capitalize on the ability of multidimensional single-molecule measurements to reveal transient states and heterogeneity that are averaged away in ensemble experiments.
The chemistry of life unfolds in heterogeneous, dynamic environments where nanoscale context and weak interactions shape molecular outcomes. While traditional biochemical approaches emphasize strong and specific binding, transient and nonspecific interactions are now recognized as essential to biological regulation and to the adaptive behavior of emerging bio-inspired materials. These weak interactions remain difficult to characterize in part because their fast dynamics lie beyond the reach of many conventional methods.
By pushing the bounds of current technology, we aim to transform microscopy from a tool for visualizing structures into a quantitative probe of how molecules move, interact, and collectively give rise to the functions of living systems.
Awards and Honors
Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Instrumentation, 2024
Penn State Chemistry Department Continuing Graduate Student Award, 2021
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2019
Schrieshiem Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, 2017
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Highlighted Publications
Complete list of publications at Google Scholar.
Steves, M. A.; Xu, K. Direct Microsecond Wide-Field Single-Molecule Tracking and Super-Resolution Mapping via CCD Vertical Shift. Nat. Commun. 2025, 16, 10503.
Steves, M. A.; He, C.; Xu, K. Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and Super-Resolution Mapping of Physicochemical Parameters in Living Cells. Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 2024, 75, 163–183.
Steves, M. A.; Knappenberger, K. L., Jr. Distinguishing Single-Metal Nanoparticles with Subdiffraction Spatial Resolution Using Variable-Polarization Fourier Transform Nonlinear Optical Microscopy. Chem. Biomed. Imaging 2023, 1 (1), 91–98.
Steves, M. A.; Knappenberger, K. L., Jr. Improving Spectral, Spatial, and Mechanistic Resolution Using Fourier Transform Nonlinear Optics: A Tutorial Review. ACS Phys. Chem. Au 2023, 3 (2), 130–142.
Steves, M. A.; Knappenberger, K. L., Jr. Achieving Sub-Diffraction Spatial Resolution Using Combined Fourier Transform Spectroscopy and Nonlinear Optical Microscopy. J. Chem. Phys. 2022, 156 (2), 021101.
Recent Publications
Steves, M. A., & Xu, K. (2025). Direct microsecond wide-field single-molecule tracking and super-resolution mapping via CCD vertical shift. Nature communications, 16(1), Article 10503. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65529-x
Steves, M. A., & Xu, K. (2024). Mapping super-resolution image quality. Light: Science and Applications, 13(1), Article 39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-024-01379-4
Steves, M. A., He, C., & Xu, K. (2024). Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and Super-Resolution Mapping of Physicochemical Parameters in Living Cells. Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, 75(1), 163-183. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-physchem-070623-034225
Lin, Y. C., Torsi, R., Younas, R., Hinkle, C. L., Rigosi, A. F., Hill, H. M., Zhang, K., Huang, S., Shuck, C. E., Chen, C., Lin, Y. H., Maldonado-Lopez, D., Mendoza-Cortes, J. L., Ferrier, J., Kar, S., Nayir, N., Rajabpour, S., Van Duin, A. C. T., Liu, X., ... Robinson, J. A. (2023). Recent Advances in 2D Material Theory, Synthesis, Properties, and Applications. ACS Nano, 17(11), 9694-9747. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c12759
Steves, M. A., & Knappenberger, K. L. (2023). Distinguishing Single-Metal Nanoparticles with Subdiffraction Spatial Resolution Using Variable-Polarization Fourier Transform Nonlinear Optical Microscopy. Chemical and Biomedical Imaging, 1(1), 91-98. https://doi.org/10.1021/cbmi.3c00008