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MICHAEL
- Rate R748
- Response 1h

R748/h
1st lesson free
- Biochemistry
Former Yale and Northwestern Professor wants to dedicate time to mentor, study-skill coach and tutor students in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology in NZ and around the world.
- Biochemistry
Lesson location
Recommended
MICHAEL is a respected tutor in our community. He is highly recommended for his commitment and the quality of his lessons. A trusted partner on your learning journey.
About MICHAEL
My name is Michael Vinzenz (preferred) Unger.
Born and raised in Germany, I studied biochemistry at the University of Tübingen. I received my PhD from Cambridge University in the UK before completing postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. After completing my postdoc work, I started my independent research and teaching career as a Junior Group Leader at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt Main in Germany. I then joined the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University as Assistant Professor in 2000. In 2010, I accepted a Full Professor Appointment in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University, where I continued to conduct federally funded research and teaching until 2023.
I now want to share my 20+ years of research, teaching and mentoring experiences with students around the world.
About the lesson
- A Level
- Undergraduate
- Doctorate
levels :
A Level
Undergraduate
Doctorate
- English
Languages in which the lesson is available :
English
I've been teaching university level biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, membrane biology, some biophysics and 1st year writing seminars at Yale and Northwestern University in the US for 23 years. From this I have learned one important thing:
My approach to teaching you (at any level) depends entirely on you and what exactly your goals are!
Ideally our collaboration will make you independent of people like me as quickly as possible! That is, I am in this to empower you to become independent in your studies and to succeed.
To accomplish that I am working through here and my independent mentoring/study skill coaching/study group support/tutoring platform called VSBCBMB
For instance: you may just look to clarify a few aspects of your knowledge, or you want to find a resource that explains things differently from the way your instructor does. In this case, all you may need is to work through the free "silent lectures" that are posted as a free resource on my site (currently updating with new downloads ... so if the topic you are looking for is not there, it may come very soon). Of course, you are welcome to meet with me and to go over material from you courses in a private online session. This option you can exercise through here, or through my site - whichever gives you the better "deal".
But then, perhaps it's not the material itself that bothers you, but the feeling of permanently being "out of time" to get everything done. That feeling almost always is a symptom for issues with how you study and/or organize your days.
To address issues in study habits, I am offering interactive, small group online workshops (50 mins, 25 participants max) that cover many of the common mistakes I observed my students making.
Specifically, the workshops go over things like: how to memorize?, how to work with fragmented knowledge, how to exploit conceptual frameworks to generate a cohesive knowledge base that you can actively use, how to work with scientific data (figures), or how to approach problem solving.
Yet other workshops focus on how to approach reading assignments for class, how to navigate learning in large classroom settings, how to secure a research internship, or how to secure strong recommendation letters..... .
Registering and participating in any of these workshops will cost you about the same as an (XL) cup of coffee in your campus cafeteria but will change the way how you approach studying (I am confident it will because hundreds of students told me either in conversations and through their teaching evaluations). A full list of topics is available on my platform, or you can contact me through superprof.
If you are looking for a more tailored experience, you are welcome to explore the mentoring, study group support or tutoring offerings. Yes, these come at a higher price than the workshops, but I am always open to have a conversation about pricing. If you are interested, take advantage of ongoing promotions or reach out to me through here or my site.
Recommendations
Recommendations are written by the tutor's friends, family, and acquaintances.
Michael (Vinzenz) Unger was my biochemistry professor in college, and it was an extraordinary foundation for me to pursue a PhD at MIT in Chemical Biology. His deep understanding of science, engaging teaching style, and care for students is exceptional.
I cannot recommend Michael enough! Prof. Unger's biochemistry course was a true highlight of my undergraduate coursework (and I took a lot of classes). Not only did he explain biochemistry concepts intuitively, he taught overarching problem-solving principles that I still use today as a physicist and engineer. Beyond the classroom, he is always generous with life and career advice, sharing insights from his prolific career. I always come out of our conversations energized about the future. Whether for coursework or direction in life, book a session with Michael!
Michael is among my favorite people on his planet. He is brilliant, he is kind, and he is uncommonly generous. He is as clear a thinker and explainer as I have ever known. My deep love of biochemistry and my understanding of this subject are due, in large part, to Michael's patient and clear teaching.
Through his mentorship and guidance, Michael taught me how to think.
In his biochemistry class and through his office hours, He's running most of the time teaching me how to structure and organize the ideas and biochemistry. This helped me learn another classes too using devices like Idea maps and themes that span disciplines.
Now that I'm no longer a student, I turn to him for problem solving and life advice.
Michael's teaching methods are very different from those of other teachers that I've had and they have also been the ones that have helped me learn the most quickly and the greatest volume of content.See more recommendations
Rates
Rate
- R748
Package rates
- 5h: R3738
- 10h: R7476
online
- R748/h
free lesson
The free first lesson with MICHAEL allows you to get to know the tutor and discuss your needs and expectations.
- 30min
Details
NOTE: In addition to the initial free 30 min "meet and greet", the first paid full 50 min lesson is discounted, costing only 35 NZ$; after that - we can have a conversation about pricing that is affordable to you (= the rate stated in the ad is a guideline only).
The small group, interactive workshops cost 10 NZ$ per registration (can be booked through VSBCBMBSTUDY.COM)
ALSO NOTE: my independent site VSBCBMBSTUDY.COM runs monthly PROMOTIONS that give access to STEEPLY DISCOUNTED appointments.
For instance: the March/April 2026 promotion offers 1 FREE individual 50 min appointments for EACH of up to three paid workshop that you register for and attend. First three students (worldwide) to take this deal get even more FREE appointments. That is: if you are among the first three to take advantage and register for 3 workshops, it will cost you 30 NZ$, for which you would receive 5 free 50min appointments (a nominal value of 600 NZ$). If you are not among the first three ... you still would get 3 free appointments, giving 375 NZ$ in savings ... go check it out. You really have nothing to loose with these deals.
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