Michael Vanden Heuvel
NSF CSGrad4US Fellowship Recipient | Software Engineer at Microsoft | Fall 2026 PhD Applicant
About Me
I am a Software Engineer at Microsoft and a recipient of the National Science Foundation CSGrad4US Fellowship. I hold a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
My research interests lie at the intersection of machine Learning and molecular biology. I am particularly interested in leveraging generative modeling (diffusion, flow matching) to accelerate therapeutic design and protein engineering. I am currently applying to CS PhD programs for Fall 2026.
Research Experience
During my undergrad, I was a member of the Informatics Skunkworks research group led by Dr. Dane Morgan. I worked on several projects in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine Department of Radiology. I worked on projects including pancreatic cyst classification and renal AML classification and regression. For more information, visit my projects and publication pages.
Professional Experience
Since 2023, I have worked as a software engineer in Microsoft Security on the Microsoft Sentinel platform. I have led the end-to-end delivery of high-visibility features, including the Product-Led Growth (SIEM Upsell) initiative, streamlining the Sentinel onboarding experience from a complicated multi-step process into a two-click operation. My work spans the full stack: from developing Bicep template support for CI/CD scenarios to implementing core backend services using .NET, Azure Functions, and CosmosDB. Most recently, I drove the UX efforts for the General Availability of Sentinel Repositories and Table Management, while contributing to the design of the transformation services. I am also deeply involved in service reliability, leading livesite investigations and mentoring new hires to ensure engineering excellence across the team.
Service & Outreach
Wet-Lab Instruction: Most recently, I served as an Assistant Course Instructor at SoundBio Lab, where I guided students through “Microbiology Essentials,” including sterile techniques, bacterial isolation, and antibiotic susceptibility assays. This Spring I will be helping with a Synthetic Biology course.
Computer Science Education: I have a long history of teaching, from volunteering with Microsoft TEALS instructing a high school Python course to serving as a Peer Mentor for Data Science Programming at UW-Madison.
Advocacy: I am an executive member of the Microsoft Security Disability ERG, where I host townhalls to raise awareness and foster an inclusive environment for employees with disabilities.
When I’m not at my computer, you can find me running, hiking, baking, or visiting local coffee shops and bookstores.