People — Hines Lab

Kelly M. Hines, PhD

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

A native of Florida, Kelly completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Florida. After graduating with honors in 2009, Kelly joined the Department of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University as a graduate student. Her research in the lab of John A. McLean focused on the development of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) methods for the identification of metabolite, lipid, and peptide biomolecular signatures of disease from complex biological samples. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2014, Dr. Hines completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Mayo Clinic Regional Metabolomics Core where she established quantitative MS methods for lipidomics and protein metabolism using isotope labeling. In 2015, Dr. Hines joined the lab of Libin Xu at the University of Washington. Her work in the Xu Lab focused on the development of IM-MS methods for lipidomics, high-throughput IM-MS measurements of drugs and small molecules, and the significance of lipids in human diseases, environmental exposure and antibiotic resistance. Kelly has authored research publications in top-tier analytical chemistry and molecular sciences journals such as Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Lipid Research, and Molecular Cell. Kelly has been the recipient of several noteworthy awards, including a U.S. Pharmacopoeia Fellowship, the ACS Dan Su Travel Award, and several Young Investigator travel awards. Kelly joined the Department of Chemistry at University of Georgia as an Assistant Professor in 2019. Curriculum Vitae

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

Derell Hardman, Ph.D.

A native of Elberton, Georgia, Derell completed his undergraduate degree in Food Science at the University of Georgia in 2009. After working in a Food Safety Microbiology lab, Derell joined the Food Science program at Alabama A&M University (AAMU) as a graduate student in 2013. After completing his Master of Science in Food Science degree, he continued into the Ph.D. program in Food Science at AAMU. His research in the lab of Stylianos Fakas, Ph.D. was centered on characterizing the role of phosphatidate phosphatase in lipid biosynthesis in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. After completing his Ph.D. in 2023, Derell joined the Hines lab in April of 2024.

Graduate Students

Hannah Hynds, Chemistry, Fall 2020

Hannah graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in spring 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry and joined UGA’s Chemistry Ph.D. program in the fall. As an undergraduate, she worked on organometallic research involving transition metal catalyzed synthesis reactions. She likes board games and reading and loves getting to spend quality time with her friends and family in her free time.

Jana Carpenter, Chemistry, Fall 2020

Jana was born and raised in Savannah, GA. In the Fall of 2017, she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Young Harris College in North GA. In the spring of 2018, she started working as lab and research technician at the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia (UGA). She assisted in method development for pretreatment chemistry, which was showcased at the 2019 Radiocarbon and Archaeology 9th International Symposium in Athens, GA. She then started her Chemistry Ph.D. in the Fall of 2020 at UGA. She plans to stay engaged with her community through outreach and involvement. In her free time, Jana also enjoys craft beer, eating local, and playing with her cat.

Recipient of 2022 UGA ARCS Foundation Scholarship Award

Rebekah Phelan, Chemistry, Fall 2022

Rebekah was born and raised in New York and graduated with her B.S. in Chemistry from Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY in the spring of 2022. While in undergrad, she enjoyed the busy juggle of coursework, ultimate frisbee and basketball teams, and various lab jobs. Rebekah began UGA’s Chemistry PhD program the fall of 2022. She enjoys reading, jamming on the piano, competing in sports, and has an unhealthy obsession of the Vampire Diaries.

David Brewer, Chemistry, Fall 2022

David graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry in 2020 and from Georgia State University with a Master of Science in Chemistry in 2022 where he studied mitochondrial-targeting phototherapeutic agents. In the Fall of 2022, he then joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In his free time, he likes to shoot archery, hiking, skiing, visit theme parks around the country, and cook for his friends.

Kendall Clerici, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Kendall was born and raised in Jefferson, GA. She graduated from Georgia College and State University in 2022 with a bachelor's in chemistry. In the fall of 2022, she enrolled in East Carolina Universities chemistry graduate program where she studied the purification of human and animal fibrinogen. She enrolled in UGA's chemistry master's program in fall of 2023. She enjoys cooking, watching sports, playing pickleball, playing board games, watching crime documentaries, and shopping.

Lilith Pan, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Lilith graduated from the University of Arizona in 2020 with a bachelor’s in chemistry. In spring 2023, she graduated from Syracuse University with a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science. During her undergraduate and master studies, her research was mainly focused on water chemistry. In the Fall of 2023, she joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In her free time, she likes shopping, listening to music, and watching vlogs.

Nicole Park, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Nicole was born in South Korea and moved to States in 2007. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in undergraduate research led by Dr. Kimberly Petersen which involved the design and development of enantioenriched α-substituted hydroxy ester vial a kinetic resolution. After graduating from UNCG, she started an industrial position at Syngenta. In the fall of 2023, she joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, baking, and binge watching Youtube/Netflix series.

Alexis Torrence, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Alexis was born and raised Rock Hill, SC. In the spring of 2023, she graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Chemistry. During her undergraduate career she conducted research in astrobiology and origins of life chemistry. In the fall of 2023, she began her Chemistry Ph.D. at UGA. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her friends, dance, read, and play with her cat.

HINES LAB ALUMNI

GRADUATE ALUMNI

Undergraduate ALUMNi

Shane Vahjen, Chemistry, Fall 2019 - Fall 2020

Tabitha Lowe, Chemistry, Spring 2020 - Fall 2020

Andrew Perciaccante, Chemistry, Fall 2020 - Spring 2022

Stephanie Paulson, Chemistry & Biology, Spring 2021 - Spring 2022

My Nguyen, Chemistry, Spring 2021 - Spring 2022

Nicolas Bulatao, Biology, Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

Sophie Miller, Chemistry, Spring 2022 - Spring 2023

Samaa Khan, Chemistry, Fall 2022 - Spring 2023