Cheryl Hayashi

Cheryl Hayashi is a biologist working at the interface of phylogenetics, biomechanics, and materials science to study the architecture, structure, and function of spider silks. Some species of spiders produce as many as six different silks, each with specific mechanical properties and functions; the protein structure of these silks consists of highly repetitive amino acid groups (with variations in these groups accounting for differences in tensile strength and elasticity of the various thread types). Cheryl Hayashi received a B.S. (1988) from Yale University and a Ph.D. (1996) through a joint program with Yale University and the American Museum of Natural History. She was a postdoctoral fellow (1996-2001) at the University of Wyoming and, in 2001, became an assistant professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside, where she is now an associate professor.