Haynes Research Group

Riley (he/him/his) defended his doctoral thesis from the Haynes lab on 09/25/2025. Her thesis focused on designing nanoparticles with PFAS affinity as joint work between the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology and a NIEHS collaboration. Riley was a Biotechnology training grant trainee and also completed an internship at Seagate during his graduate work. Pronouce Riley Lewis.

Eleni defended her doctoral thesis from the Haynes lab on 09/19/2025. Her thesis focused on reactive oxygen species and carbon-fiber microelectrodes. Eleni also spent significant time focused on science ethics and inclusion work as part of her PhD.Pronouce Eleni Spanolios.

Cheng-Hsin is a sixth year graduate student who earned her B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry from National Taiwan University. While in the Haynes group, she is designing nanoparticles with PFAS affinity as joint work between the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology and a NIEHS collaboration. Cheng-Hsin completed an internship at Claros Technologies during her graduate work. Pronouce Cheng-Hsin Huang.

Mahmoud is a sixth year graduate student who earned his bachelors degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao. He also received a Masters degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Arizona State University. While in the Haynes lab, he is working with plasmonic/SERS based sensors. Mahmoud held a GEM Fellowship and also completed an internship at NASA during his graduate work. Pronouce Mahmoud Matar Abed.

Wilanyi is a fifth year graduate student who earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey in May 2021. While in the Haynes Lab, she is developing nanomaterials for agriculture applications as joint work between the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology and a USDA collaboration. Wilanyi completed an internship at CPC Worldwide during her graduate work. Pronounce Wilanyi Alvarez Reyes.

Casey is a fifth year graduate student who earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2021. While in the Haynes lab, she is studying plasmonic sensing as a NSF graduate research fellow. Pronouce Casey Wouters.

Clare is a fourth year graduate student in chemical engineering, co-advised by Professor Vivian Ferry. She joined the Haynes lab as an undergraduate in 2019, and graduated summa cum laude with her B.ChE. in Chemical Engineering and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2022, then continued in the group as a graduate student. While in the Haynes lab, she is working on developing chiral plasmonic nanomaterials for use in SERS sensors as a NSF graduate research fellow. Pronouce Clare Froehlich.

Abby is a fourth year graduate student who earned her B.A. in Chemistry from Ripon College in May 2022. While in the Haynes lab, she is working on carbon dots for sensing. Pronouce Abby Stitgen.

Rhea is a third year graduate student who earned her B.S. in Chemistry at Saint Louis University in May 2023. While in the Haynes lab, she is working on electrochemical redox sensing. Pronounce Rhea Caldwell.

Timmy is a third year graduate student who earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology with a minor in Physiology at Cal Poly Pomona. While in the Haynes Lab, he is developing and using plasmonic/SERS sensors. Pronounce Timmy Nguyen.

Cheryl is a second year graduate student who earned her bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology and her master's degree in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University. While in the Haynes group, she is developing silica nanoparticles to deliver nucleic acids.

Cheryl's LinkedIn profile is available.

Suman is a fourth year graduate student in the Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering program. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in 2015. She then pursued a Master's in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, completing it in 2017. Following that, she worked as an engineer at Cairn Oil and Gas, Vedanta Limited, for five years before arriving at the University of Minnesota in Fall 2022. While in the Haynes lab, she is designing nanoparticles with PFAS affinity, using renewable resources. Pronounce Suman Lata.

Suman's LinkedIn profile is available.

Judith is a senior earning her B.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. She joined the Haynes lab in September 2024 and is working with Cheng-Hsin and Wilanyi on silica nanoparticle synthesis in collaboration with the Carlson Lab.

Madi is a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering who joined the Haynes lab in September 2025. While in the Haynes lab, she is working with Rhea on carbon dot synthesis and electrochemical detection.

Emily is a sophomore pursuing her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. She joined the Haynes lab in September 2025 and is working with Suman on developing carbon dots with PFAS affinity.

Bryce successfully defended his Ph.D thesis on August 6, 2010. Bryce was the first student to work on the Haynes group's nanotoxicity project. In addition, he mentored many undergraduate and junior graduate student researchers and performed significant department and community service. After defending his thesis, Bryce did postdoctoral reearch at NIST working on in vivo nanotoxicity studies with Bryant Nelson. Bryce was a tenure-track faculty member at the University of Central Arkansas Medical School and is now a Principal Medical Writer for On Point Medical Writing.

Shencheng successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on April 26, 2011. Shencheng was the first student to exploit electrochemical techniques to study chemical messenger storage in and secretion from individual blood platelets. Shencheng was a recipient of the University of Minnesota's Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. After graduating, he performed postdoctoral research with Rustem Ismagilov at Caltech and George Whitesides at Harvard. He is currently a Senior Scientist at Merck in West Point, PA.

Kyle successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on November 4, 2011. While in the Haynes lab, she used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to characterize complex mixtures of pollutant and lipid systems. After defending her thesis, Kyle performed postdoctoral research with Milan Mrksich at Northwestern University. Kyle is now a Term Associate Professor in the UMN Chemistry Department with a focus on undergraduate analytical courses.

Sara successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on November 1, 2011. While in the Haynes lab, she explored bioanaytical aspects of nanoparticle cytotoxicity in chromaffin cells and blood. After graduation, Sara was a Clinical Chemistry Fellow and then Associate Director of Clinical Chemistry, Toxicology, and POC testing in the laboratory medicine & pathology department at Hennepin County Medical Center. Currently, Sara is a Medical Officer at Siemens Healthineers.

Yu-Shen successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on April 12, 2012. While in the Haynes lab, he was a recipient of the Taiwan Merit Scholarship and a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. His research focused on synthesizing novel chemotherapeutic nanoparticles and assessing their cytotoxicity. Yu-Shen spent some time as a Scientist at Oncothyreon in Seattle, WA. and is now a Senior Research Chemist at Ferrotec.

Melissa successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on November 27, 2012. While in the Haynes lab, she was a recipient of the NSF Graduate Fellowship, an ACS DAC Fellowship, and a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Her research focused on the correlation between reactive oxygen species and chemical messenger secretion after cell exposure to nanoscale materials. Melissa also initiated the Haynes group's work considering bacterial nanoparticle toxicity. After doing postdoctoral research with Prof. Kris McNeill at the ETH in Zurich, Melissa is now a Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Melissa Maurer-Jones' curriculum vitae is available.

Secil successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on December 14, 2012. While in the Haynes lab, co-advised by Phil Buhlmann, Secil's work focused on characterizing the fundamental behavior of individual human platelets, with specific interest on membrane phenomena. Secil did postdoctoral research with Dr. Robert Flaumenhaft at Harvard Medical School, followed by a Research Scientist position at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and a Principal Scientist position at Surface Oncology, Inc. Secil is currently the Director of Translational Sciences at BioNTech SE.

Ben successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on July 16, 2013. While in the Haynes lab, Ben was a Chemical Biology Interface Training Grant Trainee (2010-2012) and a recipient of a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. His work focused on study of chemical messenger delivery in mast cells in various inflammatory states. After graduation, Ben attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and then was a resident and fellow at Penn Medicine. Ben is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

Audrey successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on October 22, 2013. While in the Haynes lab, Audrey was a recipient of the NSF Graduate Fellowship and a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Her work focused on developing MS analysis methods for the mast cell and platlet secreteome/lipidome. In November 2013, Audrey began work as a Process Engineer at Intel in Portland, OR. Audrey is currently the Director of Materials Characterization and Analytical Chemistry at Boston Scientific.

Donghyuk successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on October 23, 2013. His work focused on building a microfluidic model of the immune system and exploring how immune cells communicate with one another. Following his thesis defense, Donghyuk began postdoctoral research with Dino DiCarlo at UCLA.

While in the Haynes lab, Sam worked to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles for both biomedical and sensing purposes.

Tony successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on April 6, 2015. His work focused on developing SERS sensors for detection of bloodborne protein species. After graduation, Tony served as an adjunct professor at University of Texas at Austin and is now a police officer in Austin, Texas.

Katie successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on August 25, 2015. Her work focused on building multifunctional therapeutic nanoparticles. While pursuing her doctoral work, Katie was a NSF Graduate Research Fellow and won a UMN Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. After graduation, Katie took a position as a Principal Chemist in the On-Premise Laundry group within Institutional R&D at Ecolab where she is now a Training Manager for the Learning Experience Design group.

Solaire successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on January 28, 2016. Her thesis work focused on exploring the fundamentals of human platelet chemical messenger storage and secretion, with an emphasis on imaging techniques. In addition, Solaire pursed a significant amount of chemical education research considering both outreach and formal school audiences. After graduation, she was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Michigan on a project titled “Collaborative Research: Accelerating the Pace of Research and Implementation of Writing-to-Learn Pedagogies across STEM Disciplines” where she is now an Assessment and Evaluation Specialist.

Sarah successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on April 21, 2016. Her thesis work focused on both single cell and mass spectrometric analysis of platelet and mast cell secretion. During her time as a graduate student, she was supported as a trainee on the Biotechnology Training Grant and did an internship at Boston Scientific where she is now working.

Ian successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on May 3, 2016. His thesis work focused on the interaction between engineered nanomaterials and Gram-negative bacteria. During his time as a graduate student, he was a trainee on the Biotechnology Training Grant and was also a recipient of the Torske Klubben Fellowship and Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Dr. Gunsolus is currently a Laboratory Scientific Director for HealthPartners in the Twin Cities.

Xiaojie successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on August 3, 2016. His thesis work focused on developing microfluidic platforms to study immune cell interactions in complex, dynamic environments. During his time as a graduate student, he did an internship at ZeptoLife, and is now an R&D Manager in a Sino-Japanese joint venture in Shanghai.

Victoria successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on February 16, 2018. Her thesis work, co-advised by Professor Theresa Reineke, focused on the use of glycopolymers as affinity agents in SERS sensors. She is now a Senior Scientist in R&D Pharmaceutical Sciences at Boston Scientific.

Adam is now a research scientist at Eli Lilly. He joined the Haynes research group as an expert in Raman spectroscopy ready to explore the synthesis and transport of neurotransmitters inside cultured neuronal cells.

Adam earned his B.S. at the University of Dayton (1999) and his Ph.D. in the Van Duyne group at Northwestern University (2004). He performed one year of postdoctoral research in the Hersam group at Northwestern University (2005) before joining the Haynes lab.

Nate joined the Haynes Lab after a postdoctoral stint at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Nate did his undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota and completed his Ph.D. at Penn State University (2006) under the guidance of Prof. Andrew Ewing, where he used giant liposomes to mimic cellular processes.

While in the Haynes lab, Nate worked to perform spectroscopic and electrochemical identification of neurotransmitters in invertebrae and single blood platelets. After working the Haynes Lab, Nate performed further postdoctoral work with Prof. Sang-Hyun Oh at the University of Minnesota and is now an Associate Professor at Lehigh University.

Ashish earned his PhD with Dr. Sarah Larsen at the University of Iowa, where he studied adsorption properties of silica and zeolite particles. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Haynes lab, he synthesized novel multifunctional core-shell mesoporous nanomaterials for biomedical and sensing applications. Since departing, Ashish is a Senior Manager of Innovation and Sustainability at Siegwerk in Des Moines, IA.

Kayeong earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry with Dr. Hoeil Chung at Hanyang University (2014), Korea, where she worked on detection of disease biomarkers based on SERS combined with a FFF system. While in the Haynes group, her research interest focused on live cell imaging using TIRF microscopy. Kayeong departed the Haynes lab in March 2016 to be a Senior Research Engineer at Samsung Electronics in Korea.

Zhe earned her PhD in Chemistry with Dr. Ilya Zharov at the University of Utah, where she worked on synthesis and characterization of novel boron and silica nanoparticles. While in the Haynes group, she worked on SERS analysis of protein analytes in blood and synthesis of mesoporous silica for biomedical applications. After her time in the Haynes Lab, Zhe continued as a research associate in the Bischof Lab at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is currently a Principal Scientist at Boston Scientific.

Zhe's curriculum vitae is available.

Hattie earned her undergraduate degrees at Iowa State University (2007) with majors in Physics and Chemistry. She then completed her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley (2012), where she worked on NMR and MRI applications of xenon hyperpolarization and atomic magnetometry in Alex Pines' group. While in the Haynes lab, she worked on a wide variety of collaborative projects largely focused on quantification of iron-oxide nanoparticles in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging. In 2021, Hattie took a position as a Research Specialist at 3M focused on NMR in research and development (photo credit: David Trease).

Hattie's LinkedIn profile is available.

Safia earned her B.S. in Chemistry and studied secondary education at Dominican University. She then earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Chemistry at Georgetown University. Her work focused on nanomaterials, electrochemical catalysis, and spectroelectrochemistry in the context of designing better catalysts for ethanol fuel cells. In the Haynes lab and NSF Center of Sustainable Nanotechnology from August 2022 - August 2024, Safia worked with Eleni, Riley, Abby, and Heather on electrochemical measurements of reactive oxygen species as a Ford Fellow. Pronouce Safia Jilani.

Safia’s LinkedIn profile is available here.

Ozlem worked in the Haynes lab to add her expertise in immunology. She collaborated with Shencheng, Audrey, Donghyuk, and Ben to advance our immune system-on-a-chip work. After her time with the Haynes Lab, Ozlem was an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Manchester College, an Associate Dean in the College of Health and Behavioral Studies at James Madison University, and Dean of Health and Human Services at Eastern Illinois University.

Vivian was an Associate Professor at Augsburg College when she spent her 2014-2015 academic year on sabbatical in the Haynes lab. She was working as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology on environmental nanotoxicity using a bacterial model. In 2022, Vivian moved to Princeton University to be the Assistant Director for STEM Education.

Cassie is a chemistry teacher and technology integration specialist in White Bear Lake Area Schools. Cassie earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of North Dakota and obtained her Masters degree in Science Education from the University of Minnesota. During summer 2013, Cassie worked with Audrey Meyer to optimize the pedagogical focus of the Haynes group's outreach activities.

Jolene was an assistant professor at St. Catherine University who joined the Haynes lab in June 2013 with two of her undergraduate researchers, Sara and Rachel. Jolene got her doctorate in the Mueller lab in the Physics department at the University of Minnesota before taking a position at St. Kate's in Fall 2012. Sara was a senior and Rachel a junior at St. Kate's, both were Chemistry majors. They worked with mentor Solaire Finkenstaedt-Quinn to perform TIRF imaging on platelets in a microfluidic device. Prof. Johnson Armstrong is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.

Sharon was a high school teacher at Southwest High School, teaching Chemistry, Biology, and Physical Science when she worked, during summer 2012, on outreach activities (with mentors Melissa Maurer-Jones and Audrey Meyer) as a participant of the NNIN RET program.

Sarah was a chemistry teacher at White Bear Lake High School. She spent summer 2015 and 2016 participating in the MRSEC "Research Experience for Teachers" program and worked with Solaire on a project involving science in dystopian literature.

Michael was a chemistry teacher at White Bear Lake High School. He spent summer 2017 participating in the MRSEC "Research Experience for Teachers" program and was working with Natalie on two projects involving science in dystopian literature and hands-on activities to explain the chemistry of climate change.

Guicen got her PhD degree in Chemistry from Zhejiang University of China in 2013. Now, she is an associate research fellow at the Tea Research Institute, CAAS, in China. Her research interest is in the detection of trace contaminants in tea; while in the Haynes lab, she spent a sabbatical year in the Haynes Lab using SERS for pesticide detection.

Rima was both an undergraduate researcher and a post-bac researcher after completing her major in Chemistry at UMN. She worked in the Haynes lab from January 2023 - August 2025 with Wilanyi and Beza to develop nanomaterials for sustainable agriculture. Rima is now working in a clinic while she applies to medical school.

Heather was a Chemistry major (minoring in Astrophysics) who worked the Haynes lab from January 2024 - September 2025 with Dr. Safia Jilani and Abby on carbon dot sensors. Heather is now working while they apply to graduate programs.

Katie was a Biomedical Engineering major who worked in the Haynes lab from September 2023 - July 2025. Katie worked with Mahmoud to develop SERS sensors and is now pursuing a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University.

Christopher (he/him/his) was senior undergraduate student from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey majoring in Chemistry. He joined the Haynes Lab for Summer 2025 through the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with Mahmoud developing SERS sensors to study metabolites from pathogenic bacteria.

Andrea was a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Chemistry in the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey. She joined the Haynes Group for Summer 2025 through the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology and worked with Rhea to develop electrochemical methods for detecting neurotransmitters using carbon dots.

Andrea was a chemistry major who worked in the Haynes Lab from October 2021 - August 2024. She and her mentor, Beza, worked to develop polymeric nanoparticles for sustainable agriculture. Andrea is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Northwestern University.

Alejandra was a junior Chemistry undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey. She joined the Haynes lab for Summer 2024 and Summer 2025 through the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with Abby to identify optimal synthesis conditions for fluorescent carbon dots and computationally predict likely carbon dot surface structures.

Chinny was a senior majoring in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry at the College of the Holy Cross. She joined the Haynes lab for Summer 2024 through the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with Riley to develop nanoparticles with PFAS affinity. Chinny is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota.

Lon was a sophomore undergraduate student studying Chemistry and Chemical Engineering during his Spring 2024 semester in the Haynes Lab. He worked with Beza, Wilanyi, and Cheng-Hsin to develop nanomaterials for agriculture applications.

Meredith was a senior majoring in Chemistry at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC during her time as 2023 Lando summer research student in the Haynes lab. She worked with Clare to develop chiral nanomaterials for SERS sensors. Meredith is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Northwestern University.

Ani was a fourth year undergraduate student studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona when she spent Summer 2023 in the Haynes lab as a CSN SURE researcher. She worked with Eleni on electrochemical measurements of reactive oxygen species. Ani is now pursuing a M.S. in Public Health at McGill University.

Sharmaka was a post-bacc researcher working in the Haynes lab as a North Star STEM PRELS Research Fellowship from January - August 2023. He graduated from Augsburg University in 2021, where he earned his B.S. in Biopsychology. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with Tana O’Keefe and Cheng-Hsin Huang to develop mesoporous silica nanoparticles for agricultural applications.

Rhea was a year zero graduate student who earned her B.S. in Chemistry at Saint Louis University in 2023. She spent Summer 2023 in the Haynes lab working with Clare to develop SERS sensors. Pronounce Rhea Caldwell.

David was a premed health sciences student at the University of Minnesota Rochester who joined the Haynes Lab in June 2022 through the CSN's Research Experience for Veterans (REV) program. He was mentored by Eleni focusing on electrochemical detection of reactive oxygen species.

Timmy was a third year undergraduate student double-majoring in Biochemistry and Biotechnology with a minor in Physiology at Cal Poly Pomona. He joined the Haynes Lab in June 2022 through the REU/LANDO program and was mentored by Casey on plasmonic sensing for the summer. Pronounce Timmy Nguyen.

Antavia studied Chemistry at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN. She spent Summer 2022 working in the Haynes Lab with her mentor, Cheng-Hsin Huang. Antavia worked with Cheng-Hsin to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles for environmental applications. Antavia is now a Green Tech Institute Program Lead at MIGIZI

Clare was a Chemistry and Chemical Engineering double major at the University of Minnesota. She joined the Haynes Lab in February 2019 and worked with Becky and Jiayi on aptamer-based toxin sensing and became an expert in surface plasmon resonance, graduating in May 2022 summa cum laude. In Fall 2022, Clare re-joined the Haynes Lab as a jointly advised doctoral student. Pronouce Clare Froehlich.

Salman was a UMN Chemistry major from West Africa, the Gambia. He joined the Haynes lab in Fall 2021 to work with Riley on nanoparticles for environmental remediation applications until his graduation in May 2022.

Astrid, who joined the Haynes Lab in June 2021, graduated with her Chemistry major in Spring 2022. Mentored by Eleni, she developed electrochemistry methods to detect reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. After graduation, Astrid was a chemistry specialist for WuXi AppTec before taking a position as Senior Chemistry Specialist at NAMSA. Pronouce Astrid Hernandez.

Ali worked in the Haynes lab with Tana for Fall 2020 on nanoparticles for agricultural applications and returned to the lab again for the 2021-2022 academic year to continue that research. He graduated in Spring 2022 with a major in Human Physiology.

Meghan, who joined the Haynes Lab in September 2017, graduated with her Chemistry major in May 2021. Mentored by Natalie, she studied nanotoxicity in bacteria as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. Meghan is currently a researcher at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT.

Trever graduated in May 2021 with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Pharmacology. He joined the Haynes Lab in September 2019 and worked with Jiayi and Becky on mycotoxin sensor design until his graduation. Trever is currently attending pharmacy school at UMN.

Mary joined the Haynes Lab in January 2020 and worked with Xiaoxiao on carbon dot synthesis until August 2021.

Kaitlyn was a Summer 2021 LANDO/NSF REU Student from Gustavus Adolphus College where she double-majored in Chemistry and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. During her summer in the lab, she worked with Jiayi and Clare on aptamer-based serotonin sensing using SPR.

Radwa was a Summer 2021 CSN SURE student joining from CUNY-Hunter College where she majors in Chemistry with minors in Middle Eastern and Environmental Studies. During her summer in the lab, she worked with Beza on assessing nanoparticle toxicity utilizing growth-based viability assays. Radwa is now a Chemistry graduate student at New York University

Wilanyi was a senior majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Mathematics at University of Puerto Rico who worked (remotely) in the Haynes lab during summer 2020. As part of the CSN REU program, she worked with Natalie Hudson-Smith and Tana O'Keefe on a nanoscience-themed interactive-text game project. Wilanyi then joined the Haynes Lab for her doctoral studies starting in Fall 2021.

Emma, was a rising junior at St. Lawrence University studying Biology, Chemistry, and Public Health, who joined the Haynes group for Summer 2019. She worked with mentor Hyunho Kang to characterize how nanoparticle surface roughness influences nano/bio interactions. Emma is now a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery at University Orthopedics.

Sang-Hyuk was an undergraduate researcher in the Haynes lab, majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Biology. He worked with his mentor Amani to optimize nanoparticle loading with fluorinated molecules. After graduating, Sang-Hyuk attended medical school at Konkuk University in Seoul.

Elaine joined the Haynes group in Spring 2018 and worked in the lab until leaving to study abroad in August 2019. She worked for one semester with Dr. Hattie Ring to expand the applications of the ferrozine assay and then worked with Xiaoxiao to examine carbon dots and their various properties. After graduation, Elaine was a Lab Manager at Bauhaus Brew Labs and then took a position as a Laboratory Technician at the University of Chicago.

Eileen joined the Haynes lab in January 2016 and stayed until December 2018. She worked with Sunipa to characterize bacterial response to Si nanocrystals and CSN nanomaterials and is now working at Ecolab.

Davis joined the Haynes Lab in February 2017 as a Biochemistry major. Mentored by Hyunho, he synthesized mesoporous silica nanoparticles as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.

Kaila joined the Haynes lab in September 2017 and stayed until her graduation in May 2018. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Kang Xiong-Hang to explore the role of blood platelets in malarial infection through a mouse model. After graduation, Kaila worked at Bio-Techne before taking a position as an Immuno Applications Coordinator at Diasorin.

Katie joined the Haynes research lab in August 2016 and stayed until her graduation in May 2018. She majored in Chemistry with minors in Biochemistry and Sustainability Studies and worked with Joe Buchman in the Haynes Lab to explore bacterial toxicity of nanoparticles. Katie went on to graduate student in the Chemistry Program at Northwestern University and is now a postdoc at the University of Chicago.

Sam,a Chemistry and Chemical Engineering double major, joined the Haynes lab in January 2016 and continued research until Spring 2018. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Victoria Szlag to create SERS substrates for use as novel sensors. After graduation, he worked as a Master Planner at H.B. Fuller, and he now works as a Lead Planner at Ecolab.

Kyle joined the Haynes lab in Fall 2014 and stayed until his graduation in May 2018. He worked jointly with the Haynes lab and the Feng lab to explore the bacterial toxicity of Au nanoparticles as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, and he wrote a summa cum laude honors thesis based on this work. Kyle is currently working as an Equipment Engineer for 3M.

Liz was a junior majoring in Biology who joined the Haynes lab for summer 2017. She worked with Natalie to explore the toxicity of new battery materials as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.

Sam was a rising junior majoring in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Tuskegee University who spent summer 2017 in the Haynes lab. Through the MRSEC REU program, Sam was working in the Haynes lab with mentor Bo Zhi to assess the toxicity of doped silicon nanocrystals.

Kyle was a rising senior chemistry major at the College of Wooster who spent summer 2017 in the Haynes lab. Through the Lando program, Kyle was working in the Haynes lab with mentor Amani Lee on his PFC-loaded nanoparticle work.

Anaeli was a undergraduate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez when she spent summer 2017 in the Haynes lab. While in the Haynes lab, she was working with Tian (Autumn) Qiu and Peter Clement to explore the interaction between lipid vesicles and gold nanoparticles. Anaeli is currently a R&D Scientist III at Abbott in Oxford, England.

Dona was a Chemistry major who worked the Haynes lab from September 2015 until May 2017. Dona worked with Autumn to characterize the molecular character of nanoparticle/bacteria interactions and is the co-author on a paper published in Analytical Chemistry. Dona-Carla is currently a Product Regulatory Associate at Ascentek.

Anna spent summer 2016, when she was a rising senior at Gustavus Adolphus College, in the Haynes lab. At Gustavus, she majored in Chemistry and minored in Statistics. Through the Lando program, she worked in the Haynes lab with mentor Kang Xiong-Hang on her blood platelet work. After completing her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, she took a Scientist II role at PTC Therapeuatics, Inc in Mountain View, CA.

Susan spent summer 2016 in the Haynes Lab, when she was ready to begin her 5th year as an undergraduate at Oklahoma State University. At Oklahoma State, she was a triple major in Chemistry (B.S.), Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (B.S.A.G.), and Mathematics. During summer 2016, Susan worked with Bo on synthesizing carbon dots from a variety of carbon precursors. Susan is currently an Automation Chemist at Chemspeed Technologies.

Megan was a Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from May 2013 - August 2016. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentors Ashish Datt and Katie Hurley to fabricate mesoporous silica-based sensors. After graduation, Megan did doctoral work in Chemistry at MIT, a postdoc at the University of Washington, and is currently a Systems Engineer at Picarro in Silicon Valley.

Michael was an undergraduate Chemistry major who worked in the Haynes lab from December 2014-August 2016. While in the Haynes lab, we worked with Dr. Zhe Gao to create core-shell nanoparticles. He is currently a Senior Analytics Engineer at Generac in Austin, TX.

Adam was a Chemical Engineering major who worked the Haynes lab from January 2014 - July 2016. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentors Sam Egger and Dr. Hattie Ring to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery. Adam went on to be a research associate at Applied Membrane Technology, Inc. and then started in UMN's Biomedical Engineering PhD program in Fall 2019.

Kadir graduated with a Chemistry major from the University of Minnesota in December 2016. While working in the Haynes lab from April 2013-February 2016, he worked with mentors Ian Gunsolus and Ben Meyer to monitor bacteria respiration during nanoparticle exposure. Kadir's work was supported in part by the McNair Scholars Program. Since his time at UMN, Kadir completed an MS degree in Data Science at the University of St. Thomas and has been working as an R&D Chemist at Medtronic.

Matt worked in the Haynes lab from May 2013 until leaving for grad school in August 2015. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentors Antonio Campos and Victoria Szlag to fabricate substrates for surface-enhance Raman scattering and use them for protein sensing applications. After graduating, matt did his doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is currently an NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago.

Nate was a rising junior at Macalester College pursuing a B.A. in Chemistry when he worked in the Haynes lab for summer 2015. Nate worked with Autumn on her environmental nanotoxicity project. Nate is currently a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in the Reineke group.

Emily was a rising junior at Ripon College where she was majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Biology when she worked in the Haynes lab for summer 2015. As part of the Lando REU program, she worked with Xiaojie Wu to use microfluidic devices to research how different cell types communicate using biological signaling molecules. After docotral work in Chemistry at the University of Washington, Emily took a Scientist I position at the Allen Institute in Seattle, WA.

Jake was a rising senior at Tulane University majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Public Health when he worked in the Haynes lab for summer 2015. As part of the MRSEC REU program, he worked with Sunipa on her nanotoxicity project. Jacob completed a M.S. in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota and is now a Software Engineer at Crisis24.

Ka Lia was a rising junior in high school at Washington Technology Magnet School when she worked in the Haynes lab for summer 2015. As part of the ACS Project SEED program, she worked with Joe on his nanotoxicity project. Ka Lia recently completed nursing school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Molly worked in the lab from September 2013 until graduation in May 2015 as she pursued a major in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. Molly attended dental school after the completion of her undergraduate degree. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with Xiaojie to study the interaction in neutrophils and chemokines in microfluidic devices.

Bruno worked in the lab while he was a freshman and sophomore majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Biochemistry. He worked in the Haynes lab from January 2014-January 2015 with mentors Sarah Gruba and Solaire Finkenstaedt-Quinn. After graduating, Bruno earned a MPH at Columbia and a PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Danielle is a senior chemistry major at Mississippi State University who worked in the Haynes lab during the summer of 2014. Through the Lando program, she worked with mentor Sarah Gruba to study opioid receptors on blood platelets using a variety of bioanalytical techniques.

Ky was a sophomore Chemical Engineering major at the University of Wisconsin, Madison when he worked in the Haynes Lab. Ky worked with Autumn and other CSN collaborators on the topic of environmental nanotoxicity as part of the 2014 CSN REU program. After graduation, Ky worked for Boston Scientific and is currently a Software Engineer at Supper.

Hilena was a sophomore at Augsburg College, who was advised by Dr. Vivian Feng, double-majoring in Chemistry and Mathematics. While in the Haynes lab during summer 2014, she was investigating environmental nanotoxicity on a bacteria model.

Lyle was a sophomore Chemistry and Biology double-major attending Augsburg College working under Dr. Vivian Feng. While in the Haynes lab during summer 2014, he analyzed how gold nanoparticles affect a gram-positive bacterial model as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. After graduating, Lyle was a Fullbright Scholar in Zambia and is currently a graduate student in teh University of Minnesota Department of Pharmaceutics.

Ashlyn was an undergraduate student at UNC, Chapel Hill who joined the Haynes lab for summer 2013. While in the Haynes lab, Ashlyn worked with mentor Xiaojie Wu to study neutrophil chemotaxis using microfluidic platforms. After graduation, Ashlyn completed a PhD at NC State and is currently an Associate Director of R&D at BD in Durham, NC.

Dan was an undergraduate Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering double major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from December 2012 - December 2013. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with Katie Hurley to develop separation techniques for iron oxide nanoparticles to be incorporated into mesoporous silica shells. Dan is currently an entrepreneur in New York City.

Yiwen was an undergraduate chemistry major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from April 2012 until June 2013. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentors Audrey Meyer and Ben Manning to monitor cell-secreted species using HPLC with electrochemical detection. After graduation, Yiwen got a M.S. in Biostatistics from Georgetown and a PhD in Epidemiology from The Ohio State University. She is currently a Senior Statistician II at AstraZeneca in DC.

Heidi was an undergraduate Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from January 2011 until August 2012. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentors Kyle Bantz and Secil Koseoglu to exploit plasmonics for various sensing applications. Heidi's work was supported in part by a competitive Heisig-Gleysteen Award and UROP funding. Her research was included in her undergraduate honors thesis, a key component to her summa cum laude Latin honors. After graduation, Heidi completed a PhD at the University of Washington and is currently a Staff Customer Success Manager at IonQ in Seattle, WA.

Alec was an undergraduate Chemistry/Biochemistry double-major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from September 2011 until October 2012. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Katie Hurley to synthesize multifunctional mesoporous nanoparticles. Alec's work was supported in part by a competitive UROP award that he earned for 2011-2012. Alec spent summer 2012 in Japan as a researcher in the NanoJapan: IREU program. After gradution, Alec did a PhD in Bioengineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and he is currently a Patent Examiner at USPTO.

Cole was a chemistry major at Gustavus Adolphus who spent summer 2011 and 2012 working in the Haynes lab. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Melissa Maurer-Jones to perform nanotoxicity experiments in bacteria. Since graduation, Cole has been at Boston Scientific; his current role is as a Senior Process Engineering Manager.

John was an undergraduate Chemistry/Physics/Philosophy triple major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from September 2009 - May 2012. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentors Sara Love and Audrey Guerard to examine blood-nanoparticle interactions and the mast cell secretome. John's work was supported in part by a competitive UROP award that he earned for 2009-2010. After graduate school, John enrolled in the UCLA MD/PhD program.

Nancy was an undergraduate Chemistry/Chemical Engineering double major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab from June 2009 - May 2011. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentors Sara Love and Bryce Marquis to investigate nanoparticle shape effects on cellular toxicity. Nancy's work was supported in part by a competitive UROP award that she earned for 2009-2010.

Gregory was a junior Chemical Engineering major at the University of Minnesota. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Melissa Maurer-Jones to develop a model for nanoecotox studies of metal oxide nanoparticles. After graduation, he worked at Arkema and is currently a Process Technology manager at Albermarle Corporation in Charlotte, NC.

Emily graduated with her Chemistry major from the University of Minnesota in May 2011. She began working in the Haynes lab in Summer 2008, and while in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Shencheng Ge to investigate the secretion of chemical messengers from individual blood platelets. Emily wrote and defended an honor's thesis based on her research. After graduation, she attended the University of Minnesota Medical School and is currently an Internal Medicine Primary Care Physician in Chicago, IL.

Nardine graduated with her Chemistry major from the University of Minnesota in May 2011. She began working in the Haynes lab in January 2010, and while in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Yu-Shen Lin to fabricate mesoporous nanoparticles and assess their toxicity and drug loading capacity. After graduation, Nardine earned a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Illinois and working with Professor Cathy Murphy as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She is now a Program Leader at Owens Corning in Columbus, OH.

Tiya graduated with her biochemistry major from the University of Minnesota in May 2011. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Ben Manning to perform HPLC analysis of mast cell-secreted species. Tiya wrote and defended an honor's thesis based on her research. After graduation, she completed her MD/PhD at Ewha Womans University in Korea and is now in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul.

Ben was a Chemistry/Biochemistry double major at the University of Minnesota. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Secil Koseoglu to perform carbon-fiber microelectrode modification to minimize fouling. After graduation, Ben worked at 3M, Boston Scientific, and Stryker. He is currently a Business Systems Manager at Zimmer Biomet in Minneapolis, MN.

Marsha graduated with her Chemistry major from the University of Minnesota in May 2011. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Audrey Meyer to perform biomolecule extraction and purification from mast cell releasate. After graduation, Marsha earned her M.S. in Chemistry at the University of Rhode Island and is currently a Chemist at International Chemistry Testing in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Joe was a Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota. He worked in the Haynes lab during spring semester 2011, working with mentor Donghyuk Kim to build microfluidic devices for single cell manipulations. Joe is currently a Technical Data Analyst at 3M.

Cole was a junior Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota who spent summer 2011 working in the Haynes lab. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Melissa Maurer-Jones to perform nanotoxicity experiments in bacteria.

Sarah was a recent graduate of Creighton University who spent summer 2011 working in the Haynes lab as a Lando researcher. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Ben Manning to use HPLC to characterize mast cell secretion. Sarah went on to join the Haynes Lab for doctoral work.

Leah was a junior Biomedical Engineering major at Washington University who spent summer 2011 working in the Haynes lab as a NNIN researcher. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Donghyuk Kim to use microfluidic platforms to analyze neutrophil chemotaxis. Laura is currently a Director of Product Development at UNandUP in St. Louis, MO.

Ozge was a Chemistry major at Middle East Technical University who spent summer 2010 working in the Haynes lab as a Lando researcher. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Kyle Bantz to perform SERS on lipid species. After graduation, Ozge did graduate work in Chemical Engineering at UC Davis.

Yingxia was a Chemical Engineering major at MIT who spent summer 2010 working in the Haynes lab as a NNIN researcher. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Donghyuk Kim to create microfluidic devices for detection of cell secretion. After graduation, Yingxia worked for Living Proof and Unilever and is now a Senior Manager of Personal Care Formulation at Nutrafol in New York City.

Kathy graduated as a Biomedical Engineering major from the University of Minnesota in May 2010. While in the Haynes lab as a UROP researcher, she worked with mentor Bryce Marquis to prepare nanoparticle-exposed cell samples for TEM and performed microscopy analysis. After graduation, Kathy earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota and is currently and Engineering Manager at Medtronic.

Jenna graduated as a Chemistry major from the University of Minnesota in May 2010. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Melissa Maurer-Jones to investigate the generation of reactive oxygen species in nanoparticle-exposed cells. After graduation, Jenna took a position in a Minnesota crime lab.

Chelsea graduated as a Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota in December 2009. She worked in the Haynes lab throughout the 2009 calendar year. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Kyle Bantz to fabricate SERS-active polymer scaffold nanostructures. After graduation, Chelsea was an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at the Minnesota Alliance with Youth.

Sarah was an undergraduate at the University of Florida who spent Summer 2009 in the Haynes lab as a NNIN REU researcher. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Melissa Maurer-Jones to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species in nanoparticle toxicity. Sarah went on to earn a PhD/MPH dual degree at Emory University and is now a Data Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA.

Ivan was an undergraduate Chemistry major at Truman State who who spent Summer 2009 working in the Haynes lab as a Lando researcher. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentors Kyle Bantz and Nate Wittenberg to investigate the effects of partition layer ordering on SERS sensor performance. After graduation Ivan completed a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Illinois working in Stephen G. Sligar's group, and he is now the Chemistry Branch Chief at USDA-FSIS in St. Louis, MO.

Courtney was an undergraduate Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota (graduated December 2008) who worked in the Haynes lab for one year. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Kyle Bantz to fabricate novel SERS substrates and characterize them using atomic force microscopy. Her research resulted in one manuscript and an honors thesis. After graduation, Courtney took a role as a Technical Services Specialist at Kerry Ingredients in Dayton, OH

Kyle was an undergraduate Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota who worked in the Haynes lab during the 2008 calendar year. While in the Haynes lab, Kyle worked with mentor Shencheng Ge to explore immune cell communication using microelectrochemistry techniques. After graduation, Kyle took a position at 3M in Maplewood in the Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division in Product Engineering.

Michelle graduated from the University of Minnesota undergraduate program in Spring 2008. While in the Haynes lab, she worked with mentor Sara Love to investigate the effects of nanoparticles on cellular behavior. Michelle is currently the Director US Sales at OceanTech IT Asset Disposition.

Rick was an undergraduate at Providence College who spent Summer 2008 in the Haynes lab as a Lando NSF REU student. Rick worked with Nate Wittenberg to monitor real-time calcium concentration in leech neurons and won the Lando poster session at the end of the summer. After graduation, Rick did a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, and he is currently a Biology Professor at Bard High School.

Lindsay was an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota who graduated in December 2007. While in the Haynes lab for two years, she focused on nanoparticle synthesis and TEM characterization. Lindsay is currently an Internal Medicine doctor in Chicago, IL.

Han Na was a senior undergraduate Chemistry major at the University of Minnesota. While in the Haynes lab, she developed retinal tissue protocols and performed electrochemical measurements in that tissue with Shencheng. After graduation, she became a Physician Assistant and currently works at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Virginia graduated from Berea College and spent Summer 2006 in the Haynes lab as a Lando NSF REU student. Virginia worked with Shencheng to culture retinal neurons. Virgina went on to do an MPH at Yale and a PhD in Epidemiology at UNC, Chapel Hill. She is currently an Epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA.

Eva graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and spent Summer 2006 in the Haynes lab as an NNIN REU student. Eva worked with Bryce to prepare TEM samples for cytotoxicity studies. Eva went on to earn an MBA from UNC, Chapel Hill and is now the Director of Commercial Financia at Novavax in Bethesda, MD.

Milin was a rising high school senior from Minneapolis who worked in the Haynes lab during Summer 2025. He worked with mentors Cheng-Hsin and Suman on silica and carbon nanoparticles to remediate PFAS.

Ben was a rising high school junior from Seattle who worked in the Haynes lab for Summer 2024. Ben worked with his mentor Cheng-Hsin to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles as well as test out new functionalizations to improve PFAS affinity.

Brian worked in the Haynes lab when he was a senior at St. Paul Central High School and taking chemistry courses at the University of Minnesota. While in the Haynes lab, he worked with mentor Ben Manning on murine mast cell extraction and analysis.

Anushua worked in the Haynes Lab during the summers of 2010 and 2011 while she was a high school student. She worked with mentors Sara Love and Melissa Maurer-Jones to explore metal nanoparticle cytotoxicity in both mammalian and bacterial cells.