People — Hines Lab

Kelly M. Hines, PhD

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Kelly Hines is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Georgia. Kelly graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 with a B.S. in Chemistry. She completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Vanderbilt University with John A. McLean, where she used ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) to identify of metabolite, lipid, and peptide signatures of disease from complex biological samples. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2014, Kelly completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Mayo Clinic Regional Metabolomics Core where she established quantitative MS methods for lipidomics and protein metabolism. In 2015, Kelly joined the lab of Libin Xu at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. Her work in the Xu Lab, supported in part by a U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) Global Fellowship, focused on high-throughput IM-MS measurements of drugs and small molecules, and LC-IM-MS methods for lipidomics. She joined the faculty at UGA in 2019, where her lab is using ion mobility-mass spectrometry to investigate the lipids, metabolites, and other molecules that distinguish bacteria species, strains, and antibiotic resistance phenotypes. Kelly is the recipient of an ASMS Research Award and the Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar Award from the University of Georgia Office of Research. Curriculum Vitae

Graduate Students

Rebekah Casey (Phelan), Chemistry, Fall 2022

Rebekah was born and raised in New York and graduated with her B.S. in Chemistry from Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY in the spring of 2022. While in undergrad, she enjoyed the busy juggle of coursework, ultimate frisbee and basketball teams, and various lab jobs. Rebekah began UGA’s Chemistry PhD program the fall of 2022. She enjoys reading, jamming on the piano, competing in sports, and has an unhealthy obsession of the Vampire Diaries.

David Brewer, Chemistry, Fall 2022

David graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry in 2020 and from Georgia State University with a Master of Science in Chemistry in 2022 where he studied mitochondrial-targeting phototherapeutic agents. In the Fall of 2022, he then joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In his free time, he likes to shoot archery, hiking, skiing, visit theme parks around the country, and cook for his friends.

Lilith Pan, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Lilith graduated from the University of Arizona in 2020 with a bachelor’s in chemistry. In spring 2023, she graduated from Syracuse University with a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science. During her undergraduate and master studies, her research was mainly focused on water chemistry. In the Fall of 2023, she joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In her free time, she likes shopping, listening to music, and watching vlogs.

Nicole Park, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Nicole was born in South Korea and moved to States in 2007. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in undergraduate research led by Dr. Kimberly Petersen which involved the design and development of enantioenriched α-substituted hydroxy ester vial a kinetic resolution. After graduating from UNCG, she started an industrial position at Syngenta. In the fall of 2023, she joined the UGA Chemistry Ph.D. program. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, baking, and binge watching Youtube/Netflix series.

Alexis Torrence, Chemistry, Fall 2023

Alexis was born and raised Rock Hill, SC. In the spring of 2023, she graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Chemistry. During her undergraduate career she conducted research in astrobiology and origins of life chemistry. In the fall of 2023, she began her Chemistry Ph.D. at UGA. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her friends, dance, read, and play with her cat.

Bridgette Allen, Chemistry, Fall 2024

Bridgette graduated from Georgia State University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research on cannabinoids. She then joined the M.S. in Chemistry program at UGA in 2024. Outside of lab, she enjoys gardening, baking, and embroidering.

Yu-Ting Tseng, Chemistry, Fall 2024

Yu-Ting graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2021. After graduating from UMN, she started an industrial position at a medical device testing company. She then joined the Chemistry Ph.D. program at UGA in the fall of 2024. In her free time, she likes to listen to music, bake and crochet.

Ethan Duck, Chemistry, Fall 2025

Ethan graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a focus on biochemistry in 2025, where he studied the discovery and synthesis of small molecules for stabilization of DNA repeats. He joined the Chemistry Ph.D. program at UGA in the fall of 2025. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, baking, lifting, and playing with his cats.