Paul Hayes

Dr. Paul G. Hayes is a Chair/Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry from Mount Allison University, a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Calgary, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on synthesizing reactive inorganic molecules for applications in catalysis and chemical transformations. Key projects include developing pincer ligands for metal main-group multiple bonding, creating biodegradable materials via alkaline earth metal complexes, and catalytic hydrocarbon functionalization.

Hayes has secured significant funding from agencies like the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, NSERC, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. His work emphasizes ligand design for actinide metals, late transition metal catalysis, and green chemistry innovations. He has presented over 280 talks and publications, including recent advancements in rhodium-mediated small molecule activation and uranium/actinide complex characterization. Hayes has also received awards such as the FRSC and the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations Early Career Award.

His group operates the Research Facility for Organometallic Chemistry and collaborates on projects involving glove-box techniques, X-ray crystallography, and spectroscopic analysis. Current students and alumni include researchers like S.-J. Hsiang, E. Trew, and T.V. Salazar Barrietos, contributing to studies on cobalt complexes, phosphasalen ligands, and biocompatible polymers.