Heyne Group

Dr. Belinda Heyne

Principal Investigator

Belinda graduated with a PhD degree in Science from the University of Liege (Belgium) in 2004. She then moved to Canada as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa where she worked under the supervision of Dr. Tito Scaiano. In 2007, she started her independent career at the University of Calgary in the Department of Chemistry and moved to the rank of Associated Professor in 2013. Her research work lies in photochemistry and photobiology, with a particular interest in the production of singlet oxygen to solve society grand challenges.

Dr. David Press

Research Associate

​David Press is known to us as ‘an ancient one’. Archeological evidence places him carrying out chemical reactions and transformations in the North American continent during the last ice age. At that time, the geographical location of Calgary was under a sheet of glacier ice and so all of his reactions were carried out well below room temperature. At one point during his existence the University of Calgary (then U of A) built a chemistry building around him and allowed him to enroll as both a BSc student and eventually a PhD student. After completing his PhD, focussing in Organic Chemistry, in 2014, the Heyne group adopted him as a resident source of late 80’s and 90’s obscure references. The agreement between the Heyne group and the ancient one is that he gets to make molecules and they get to make him make molecules. It is most cordial.

Vladimir Kabanov

Ph.D. Candidate

Vladimir was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan and moved to Calgary, Canada when he was 14. While completing his HBSc in Chemistry at the University of Calgary, Vladimir discovered his passion for physical chemistry, photochemistry and nanoscience. During his undergrad, Vladimir worked with Dr. Cooper Langford (photochemical treatment of wastewater) and with Dr. Max Anikovskiy (design of a novel nanobiosensor for the detection of singlet point mutations in DNA). In 2015 Vladimir and his coworkers, were able to present their nanobiosensor design at the international biomolecular design competition, BIOMOD, at Harvard University. In 2016, he joined Dr. Belinda Heyne`s research group to pursue a Masters and a future Ph.D. degree. Vladimir`s work concentrates on studying how various homo- and heterogeneous nanoparticles affect photosensitizers’ ability to generate singlet oxygen, and whether plasmonic effects from such nanostructures can be employed to amplify singlet oxygen’s emission signal. If you can`t find Vladimir in the lab, it is likely that he took off to go to the Rockies to enjoy a hike or just to take some beautiful pictures. But, if the weather outside is not fit, Vladimir is probably home in his small studio playing guitar or recording some new material.

Cyrus Mackie

M.Sc. Candidate

Cyrus was born in Edmonton Canada and has grown up, for the most part, in Calgary. In 2018, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. As an undergraduate student in the Heyne research group, Cyrus completed an Honours project on the synthesis and characterization of modified beta cyclodextrins with and without their attachment to gold nanoparticles, with the aim of studying the photothermal effect on these molecules. In Fall 2018, Cyrus will be joining the Heyne research group as a MSc student under the co-supervision of Doctors Belinda Heyne and Vanina Zaremberg. His research will focus on the synthesis of fluorogenic α-Tocopherol analogues to be applied in yeast cells in order to study the toxicity of lipid peroxyl radicals and elucidate metabolic pathway architecture. In his spare time, Cyrus enjoys playing the piano, running, travelling, and baking.

Shauna Schechtel

M.Sc. Candidate

My name is Shauna Schechtel and I am a fourth year Undergraduate Honors Chemistry student. My research projects include work on cyanine dyes and their photophysical and photochemical properties. Other projects that interest me include educational research. My main focuses within education include physical chemistry, quantum chemistry and general chemistry. The best part of my research is the opportunity to pursue what I am passionate about and I also the opportunity to make a difference to my field. If I am not researching I am often found watching and designing theatre within my community. Apart from theatre my other interests include basketball and cycling.

Olga Kravchenko

M.Sc. Candidate

Olga was born in Ukraine, and have arrived to Calgary in 2009. She has completed undergraduate degree at University of Calgary in 2018, which included a research project with Dr. Heyne on copper nanoparticles. As of 2019, she has joined Dr. Heyne's group as a masters student, with main focus in photochemistry.  Olga's hobbies include playing piano, hiking, camping, swimming, cooking and traveling.

Adrien Takada

Research Assistant

Coming soon...

Ethan Pezoulas

Summer research undergraduate student

Ethan is majoring in chemistry with a minor in nanoscience and is currently an undergraduate student in Dr. Heyne’s group. He is very excited to get his research debut with the group and hopes to contribute to our understanding of how capping agents effect the photochemistry of metallic nanoparticles. Ethan loves spending time outside year-round, and is even happier when he can do it with friends and family.

Giselle Lin

Summer research undergraduate student

Giselle is an undergraduate student in Dr. Heyne's group, majoring in chemistry with minors in both biological sciences and nanoscience. She has done prior research in the Shimizu MOF group at the University of Calgary, and is excited to investigate the effect of host-guest interactions on the photochemistry of metallic nanoparticles. She enjoys baking, spending time with friends and family, and playing the violin. 

Emily-Claire Docking

Summer research undergraduate student

I’m Emily Claire Docking, I’m majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Art History and Visual Studies. I am looking forward to learning about silica and titania’s role as a spacer and it’s effect on photochemistry of nanoparticles through my research this summer. I enjoy making art and music, as well as cooking for my family and friends. .