Dr Andrew Hayles is a postdoctoral Research Associate in the Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory at the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University. He has a keen research focus on antimicrobial materials, integrating microbiology, materials science, and biotechnology to combat microbial threats. He has significant translational experience, having worked on industrial-funded projects to commercialize a patented surface modification technique to produce antimicrobial nanostructures on titanium implants. As an early career researcher, Dr Hayles has been involved in multiple diverse projects, involving plasma-polymer surface modification, responsive nanoparticles and coatings, and biologically derived bioactive thin-films. Of note, he has spearheaded a novel field of research focused on exploiting the material-pathogen interface to promote the outcome of antimicrobial drugs against adherent pathogens. In this field, he has published multiple first-author and corresponding author publications in reputable journals including Acta Biomaterialia, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes and Advanced Biotechnology.

Dr Hayles has secured >$100,000 in competitive grant funding as lead investigator, including a Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation Annual Grant (2025) and Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant (2025).

• Biomaterials
• Antimicrobials
• Microbiology
• Antibiotic tolerance/resistance
• Surface engineering
• Nanoengineering