Haynes Research Group
At the interface of bioanalytical and biomaterials chemistry
At the interface of bioanalytical and biomaterials chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Nanoscience
Sustainability
The Haynes group focuses on applications of analytical chemistry in the fields of ecology, immunology, and toxicology, with much expertise in the area of single cell analysis.
One major area of interest is sustainable nanotechnology - a field focused on maximizing the positive impact, and minimizing the unintended negative impact, of engineered nanomaterials.
Another major focus in the group is on studying fundamental properties of cells involved in inflammation. In fact, the Haynes group performed the first ever real-time single blood platelet measurements, examining the chemical messenger molecules that platelets secrete upon stimulation.
While most of the Haynes lab research employs electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, the group is always exploring new and exciting technologies to answer pressing bioanalytical questions.
Abby is accepted into the ComSciCon-SciWri 2025 cohort and won a UMN Chemistry travel award to support her attendance at ComSciCon 2025 in Boston!
Congratulations to Dr. Riley Lewis on the successful defense of his PhD thesis, titled "Designing Carbon Dots for PFAS Remediation: From Fundamentals to Application"!
Rhea and Christy attend the national NOBCChE meeting in Atlanta.
Congratulations to Dr. Eleni Spanolios on the successful defense of her PhD thesis, titled "Developing Fluorescent and Electrochemical Sensors for Reactive Oxygen Species"!
The Haynes Lab welcomes Jay, joining the lab as a new undergraduate researcher working with Timmy.
Rhea and Timmy attend the ACS Bridge Career Kick-Starter Workshop at Eli Lilly.
Congratulations to Beza on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Mo-Nitrogen Nexus: Nanotechnology Enhanced Mo-based Nitrogen Fixation Towards Environmental Sustainability" in Chemical Engineering Journal!
The Haynes Lab welcomes Madi and Emily, joining the lab as new undergraduate researchers working with Rhea and Suman, respectively.
Congratulations to Dr. Beza Tuga on the successful defense of her PhD thesis, titled "Leveraging Nanoparticle Transformations for Sustainable Agricultural Applications"!
Undergraduate Haynes lab researchers Christopher, Andrea, and Judith presented posters at the Summer Undergraduate Research Expo.
The Haynes group had their annual pie bake-off as we celebrated with our summer undergraduate research symposium. Congratulations to Suman on her winning lemon pie!
The Haynes Group enjoyed a three-day extravagaza of science and community in honor of the lab's 20th anniversary, including alumni returning for a picnic, posters, talks, and tours of their old lab space and the soon-to-open Chemistry undergraduate teaching building! It was an amazing celebration!
Congratulations to Mahmoud, Casey, Clare, Timmy, Rhea, and Katie on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript with the Reineke group titled "A Machine Learning-enabled SERS Sensor: Multiplex Detection of Lipopolysaccharides from Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria" in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces!
Congratulations to Rhea and Timmy on being chosen to participate in the ACS Career Kick Starter Program - they’ll both travel to Eli Lilly for an intensive mentoring experience!
Congratulations to Safia, Eleni, Riley, Heather, and Abby on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Cyanine-Incorporated Amorphous Polymeric Carbon Dots for Optical Reactive Oxygen Species Sensing" in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C!
The Haynes Lab welcomes Andrea, a CSN SURE student who will be working with Rhea for Summer 2025, and Milin, a high school student who will be working the Cheng-Hsin and Suman for Summer 2025.
Casey and Abby present at the UMN Chemistry 3rd year Graduate Research Symposium.
Cheng-Hsin presented a poster and flash talk about the Environmental Nanotechnology Gordon Research Conference in Maine.
The Haynes Lab welcomes Christopher, a CSN SURE student who will be working with Mahmoud for Summer 2025.
Congratulations to Haynes Group members who presented at the annual IPrime meeting - Rima, Timmy, and Christy gave talks while Mahmoud and Riley presented posters.
Congratulations to undergraduate researchers Heather Muenter and Katie Riley on their graduations!
Cheng-Hsin presented a talk about her research at the "Advancing PFAS Treatment and Remediation Solutions" conference.
Congratulations to Cheng-Hsin, Riley, Tana, Beza, and Antavia on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Designing Ultraporous Mesostructured Silica Nanoparticles for the Remediation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances" in ACS Nano!
Congratulations to Judith on writing a successful Undergraduate Research Opportunities Project (UROP) proposal to support her research in the Haynes Lab!
Eleni, Wilanyi, Abby, and Casey all gave flash talks as part of the Jeannette Brown Lectureship!
Congratulations to Judith on winning the 2025 Wayland E. Noland Award for Academic Excellence in Chemistry!
Christy gave an Honorary Department Seminar in the University of Minnesota - Duluth Department of Chemistry.
Both Heather and Judith presented posters about their research projects at the Spring 2025 UMN Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Heather presented a flash talk about Haynes Lab research projects at the Institute on the Environment's 2025 Sustainability Symposium.
Congratulations to Wilanyi on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Optimizing SiO2 Nanoparticle Structures to Enhance Drought Resistance in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): Insights into Nanoparticle Dissolution and Plant Stress Response" in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry!
The Haynes group was well-represented at the Spring 2025 National ACS Meeting in San Diego, with Casey and Christy giving talks and Beza, Eleni, Wilanyi, Cheng-Hsin, Abby, Rhea, Riley, Rima, and Heather presenting posters.
Congratulations to Mahmoud for being recognized with an honorable mention for the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry fellowship!
Congratulations to Timmy on winning a 2025 Research Travel Grant from the University of Minnesota to support a lab exchange to the University of Florida!
Christy gave an invited seminar in the University of South Dakota Department of Chemistry.
Congratulations to Tana, Beza, Sharmaka, and Rima on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Vacuum Infiltration for Priming of Soybean Seeds: Optimization and Particle Tracking Using Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles" in Chemical Science!
Christy gave an invited seminar in the Boston University Department of Chemistry.
The Haynes group is excited to welcome Suman to the group for her doctoral studies!
Christy is awarded a graduate faculty appointment in the UMN Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering.
Congratulations to Timmy on passing his oral preliminary exam and advancing to doctoral candidacy!
Congratulations to Casey for winning a 2025 Department of Chemistry Graduate Student Travel Award to support her participation in the National Spring ACS Meeting in San Diego!
A new patent (US Patent 12,187,658) based on collaborative Haynes lab research on nanoagriculture has been issued!
Congratulations to Riley on the acceptance of a collaborative manuscript titled "Phytotoxicity and Phytoremediation Potential of Lemna minor Exposed to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)" in Frontiers in Plant Science!
Christy contributes to a review article with 70 co-authors for Chemical Society Reviews about the history of surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
Congratulations to Rhea on passing her oral preliminary exam and advancing to doctoral candidacy!
Congratulations to Rhea on passing her written preliminary exam!
The Haynes group is excited to welcome Cheryl to the group for her doctoral studies!
Congratulations to Timmy on passing his written preliminary exam!
Congratulations to Mahmoud for winning a "Best Poster" award at the National Diversity in STEM 2024 meeting!
Mahmoud and Wilanyi present posters at the National Diversity in STEM 2024 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Congratulations to Eleni, Riley, Rhea, and Safia on the acceptance of a manuscript titled "Progress and Limitations in Reactive Oxygen Species Quantitation" in ChemComm!
Christy gave an invited seminar in the University of Texas, Austin Department of Chemistry.
Clare, Casey, Mahmoud, and Timmy present flash talks and posters at the International Institute of Biosensing conference.
Christy gave an invited seminar in the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering.
The Haynes lab is welcoming a new undergraduate researcher, Judith Zhu, to the group. Judith will be mentored jointly by Wilanyi and Cheng-Hsin, working on cargo-loaded silica nanoparticles.
Andrea has completed her undergraduate research projects with Beza in the Haynes lab - we wish her well for her senior year!
Congratulations to Clare, Casey, and Mahmoud on the acceptance of a book chapter titled "Advances in Machine Learning for SERS Analysis" in the upcoming book Surface- and Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy – Bridging Theory and Applications!
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The Haynes Research Group receives gracious financial support from the following agencies:
Start-up funds and a McKnight Land-Grant Professorship from the University of Minnesota
The Haynes Group is an active member of these centers:
