Eric Hayden

Eric Hayden, Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He joined the university in 2013 and leads the Hayden Lab, located in MCMR 222A. His research focuses on RNA design and laboratory evolution to develop biomedical and biotechnical applications, alongside exploring the origins of life through evolutionary processes. He collaborates with Dr. Matt Ferguson (Physics) to visualize RNA processing in living eukaryotic cells using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford University (2012–2013)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Zurich, Switzerland (2009–2011)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Portland State University (2008)
• B.S. in Chemistry, Linfield College (2002)

Research Interests: Dr. Hayden investigates RNA evolution, synthetic biology, and next-generation sequencing applications. His lab develops tools to study evolutionary mechanisms in nature and the lab, with a recent focus on real-time visualization of gene expression in eukaryotes. Projects include designing nucleic acid memory systems and optimizing DNA origami scaffolds for data storage.

Teaching: Teaches graduate courses including Biomolecules I (BMOL 601), Molecular Genetics (BMOL/BIOL 613), and Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (BMOL 570).

Lab Activities: The Hayden Lab seeks interdisciplinary PhD students through the Biomolecular Science Program. Current studies include RNA mutation prediction via machine learning, ribozyme-based biosensors, and high-resolution imaging of RNA dynamics.