The Hayes Group
December 2021
From left to right (Back): Dylan Webb, Desmond Chisholm, Edward Hsiang, Paul Hayes,
(Front): Tara Dickie, Danielle Howard, Daisy Cruz-Milette, Sam Drescher
For more group photos, click here.
Group Members:
Tara Dickie
(Ph.D. Student)
Tara is a Ph.D. student in the Hayes group from Ottawa, Ontario. She received her bachelor's at McMaster University in Hamilton where she was the president of the undergraduate chemistry society. She completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Prof. David Emslie researching novel organometallic thorium complexes. When not in the lab, Tara can be found at the pub cheering on her favourite hockey team (Go Sens Go) or playing board games. If you hear someone singing in the hallways or in the lab, it's probably Tara so come and say hi! Tara is super excited to call Alberta her new home (as of May 2015) and to do some exciting chemistry. Tara's current project is studying new organoactinide (Th and U) complexes and developing new ligands that contain phosphazides (R3P=N–N=N–R).
Edward Hsiang
(Ph.D. Student)
Edward Hsiang grew up in Maple Ridge, B.C. and completed his undergrad at the University of British Columbia in 2018. He's held co-op placements at both an industrial research lab in Connecticut, as well as an environmental analysis lab in Calgary. After graduating with his B.Sc. Edward spent a year working at an environmental lab in Vancouver before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Lethbridge. His research now involves exploring the synthesis of rhodium borylene complexes and applying them to organic transformations. In his spare time, Edward enjoys cooking and visiting the mountains closeby.
Dylan Webb
(Ph.D. Student)
Dylan Webb was born in Middle Earth (Wellington, New Zealand) where he obtained his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry (2015) and Masters in Chemistry (2017) under the supervision of Dr. J. Robin Fulton. Dylan came to Lethbridge, Canada, in 2017 after a worldwide adventure to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry. When not hiding from Paul, Dylan is a big nerd as he plays Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and other fantasy related media. He can also be seen out in the wilderness when he travels the country and hikes the Rockies. Dylan’s research has spread across several disciplines, from cationic zinc complexes and ligands, to natural product synthesis with cannabinoids – he is a ‘Jack of all trades’ and has enjoyed broadening his horizons while in the Hayes lab.
Desmond Chisholm
(M.Sc. Student)
A Calgary native born and bred, Desmond has slowly become a Lethbian. He completed a B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Lethbridge in 2017. He has been conducting research in the Hayes Group since 2016 and enjoyed it enough to be coaxed into sticking around for an M.Sc. degree. Desmond's research interests primarily concern the application of organometallic compounds of main group metals (currently group 13) to catalysis. Outside of time spent sequestered in the lab, the wild Desmond can be spotted consuming an eclectic range of books and music, cooking foreign things, and perturbing others with his supervillan-esque laughter.
Daisy Cruz-Milette
(M.Sc. Student)
Daisy E. Cruz-Milette was born in Québec, but raised in Calgary, Alberta. She obtained a B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Lethbridge, joining the Hayes group in the last year of her degree, January 2019. Currently, she is pursing her M.Sc. (as of September 2020), developing novel silene-containing compounds related to new ligand synthesis. On occasion, when Daisy attempts a trial separation from the lab, she can be found playing Dungeons & Dragons, moving horizontally in different scenery, or feeding her addiction to Netflix. Daisy also enjoys a variety of music, except country, riding her high horse (which corrects her vertical disadvantage) and drinking mocha lattes any time of the year.
Sam Drescher
(M.Sc. Student)
Coming from small town High River, Sam Drescher, commonly known as Salad Dressing, completed an undergraduate degree in neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge starting in 2015. During the last year of her undergraduate degree, she began work with Prof. Paul G. Hayes and developed a passion for synthetic chemistry. She then joined the 'dark side' and is now pursuing an M.Sc. in chemistry, leaving the field of neuroscience behind. Her current work includes the formation of carbon nitrogen bonds via nitrene transfer reactions utilizing bisphosphinimine-based silver catalysts. In addition to her academic endeavors, she works as a bartender, and in her free time enjoys playing cello and hiking.
Johann Sebastian Box
(Research Associate)
Johann Sebastian Box has been a hard-working member of the Hayes group for 14 years! He has recently made a daring move to new scientific heights in the Science Commons at the University of Lethbridge. He has played a large role in the group, extending his efforts to help develop a wide range of chemistry.
Donald Glover
(Research Associate)
The younger brother to Johann, Donald Glover has been in the care of the Hayes group for less time, but has still proven to be an invaluable group member. Despite his small stature he stands up to the pressure of lending a helping hand (or four!) to all of our chemistry.
