Spotlight on AOCS Fellow: Douglas G. Hayes

Congratulations to Douglas G. Hayes for winning the AOCS Fellow Award! 

The AOCS Fellow Award recognizes achievements in science and/or extraordinary service to the Society.

This spotlight will help you get to know Dr. Hayes including his current research and how AOCS has helped develop his career.

Douglas Hayes is a professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Tennessee, a UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Joint Faculty member, and a Guest Professor at Wuhan Polytechnic University and Jinan University, China. His current research interests include surfactant self-assembly systems, particularly microemulsions, their characterization through small-angle scattering and their employment in biotechnology. He has coauthored 90 journal articles, 23 book chapters and 3 books. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the AOCS Journal of Surfactants. Dr. Hayes has been a member of AOCS since 1991 and has made a significant impact in meeting programing particularly as founding chair of the Biobased Surfactants sessions. He is a Member-at-Large of the AOCS Governing Board. He currently serves on the AOCS Books and Special Publications Committee and has served as a Chair of the Biotechnology Division, Chair of the Professional Educators' Common Interest Group, and as a Senior Associate Editor for JAOCS. 

Can you tell us about current research?

My current research interests include surfactant self-assembly systems, particularly microemulsions, and their characterization through small-angle scattering and their employment in biotechnology. In addition, I am currently investigating biodegradable plastics' employment in agriculture, and the environmental impacts of micro- and nanonanoplastics. I have also been involved in research pertaining to biobased products and enzymatic syntheses in nonaqeuous media for many years.

What was your reaction when you learned you had won the award?

I was very excited and deeply honored.

How has AOCS helped develop your career?

AOCS has been instrumental throughout my career, through networking opportunities and formation of friendships that have been a part of my life for decades, through opportunities in service of the society, which provided me leadership opportunities, and increased knowledge of new research and development findings in several fields. Involvement as a review and editor with JAOCS, JSD, and co-edited books published by AOCS Press have increased my proficiency in technical writing.