In this edition of Who’s who in the Zoo, meet Michelle Yuen, a Zooniverse backend developer.
Who: Michelle Yuen, Backend developer at Zooniverse
Location: Adler Planetarium, Chicago USA
Zooniverse projects: Panoptes, ERAS (Stats service), Talk API, Caesar
What’s something people might not expect about your job or daily routine?
People assume I just sit and code all day, but most of my time is spent playing detective with invisible problems—tracking down mysterious server crashes, optimizing data no one ever sees, or convincing stubborn APIs to behave. Basically, I fight invisible fires and hope no one notices.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
Outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis and pickleball. I enjoy cuddling with my cat, Bela. I love all things Disney and am also a cozy gamer—I’m currently hooked on Dreamlight Valley. I’m passionate about baking and often bring in my test recipes and treats for my colleagues at the Adler to try.
What are you favourite citizen science projects?
I’ve enjoyed working with Active Asteroids in the past and even spoke about Zooniverse at a tech conference, where I highlighted what the classification process looks like using Active Asteroids as an example project (you can learn more here).
What guidance would you give to other researchers considering creating a citizen research project?
Remember that community matters. Treating volunteers as partners, staying engaged, and sharing progress helps make the experience rewarding for everyone involved 🙂
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
It’s really wonderful to see how thoughtful and engaged the Zooniverse community is—from volunteers to researchers and everyone in between. The genuine enthusiasm people bring to supporting and advancing research is incredibly meaningful. I’m deeply grateful to be part of this community; it truly makes coming to work each day a joy.
Zooniverse 