Assistant Professor
rhayes1@uci.edu
Background
Hayes studied at Point Loma Nazarene University (B.S. 2007) with a double major in physics and music. He then began his Ph.D. at the University of California San Diego (M.S. 2012) studying computational protein folding and RNA electrostatics under José N Onuchic. In 2012 he followed his advisor to Rice University (Ph.D. 2015) to complete his Ph.D in physics. His postdoctoral studies were conducted under Charles L Brooks III in Chemistry at the University of Michigan (2015-2022), focusing on coarse-grained models of RNA, multisite λ dynamics, computational protein design, and computer-aided drug design.
Personal
In his free time Ryan enjoys running competitively, playing his flute, biking, and cooking. He is inordinately fond of ducks due to a group of friends from college and refuses to eat them. He bakes for and hosts an annual gingerbread house party. Ryan strives to build his life around his religious convictions.