Student Spotlight: Haley Williams

MY STORY

What inspired you to study chemistry?
My first chemistry class was in high school and immediately it became my favorite science. I was fascinated how the world could be explained by properties on the molecular level. I started college pursuing a degree in Exercise Physiology to become an OT. After taking general chemistry 1 I signed up to be a LA for the class with Dr. Walker, from this I learned just how much I enjoyed learning and teaching chemistry. The next year I took Dr. Allen’s organic chemistry lecture and CURE lab. About halfway through that semester, I changed my degree to chemistry and haven’t looked back. I have loved my chemistry classes, but I have also learned so much about chemistry from my research and from being a LA/TA for chemistry lectures and labs.

Do you participate in research?
I am a member of Dr. Allen’s research lab, where my current project focuses on synthesizing molecules designed to strongly interact with PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals.” A central theme of our lab is fluorescence, so every compound we design is intended to emit light. My goal is to create molecules that, when bound to PFAS, transform a clear solution into a striking fluorescent Caribbean blue and hopefully allow the PFAS to be filtered out of our blood stream and environmental water sources.

I began my research journey in Fall 2023 in Dr. Allen’s Organic Chemistry CURE lab, where we worked on synthesizing a fluorescent molecule with potential applications in treating hypertension. That project carried over into the following CURE course in Quantitative and Instrumental Analysis during the fall 2025 semester. In Spring 2024, I also served as an educational chemistry research assistant under Dr. Walker, helping redesign general chemistry lab experiments. During that same semester, I was selected as a MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) biomedical sciences scholar, which required joining a lab and pursuing an independent project. I reached out to Dr. Allen, who welcomed me into his group, and I officially began my work there in Summer 2024.

Have you studied abroad?
This past summer I spent a month studying Spanish in Almería, Spain. I met so many amazing people there from all around the world and I still keep up with some friends from Poland and Germany. Almería is right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, so almost every day after class we were able to go the beach. While across the Atlantic Ocean I was also able to visit Barcelona, Madrid, other cities in Spain and I was able to take a trip to Gibraltar, UK. I was very nervous to live in a country where I couldn’t speak the language and at first it was a struggle to navigate everyday interacts but about halfway through my trip my confidence in speaking Spanish increased and I was able to have conversations with locals. My study abroad experience is something I will never forget and would highly recommend to everyone!