Dr Hayley Reynolds
Position: Senior Research Fellow, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland.
Field: Bioengineering.
When we first met Hayley Reynolds in 2007, she was a PhD student with the Maurice Wilkins Centre, based at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) of the University of Auckland. In 2019 she returned to the ABI as a Senior Research Fellow.
Introducing Hayley Reynolds
When working towards her PhD, Hayley Reynolds at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, explained her school background and her interest in using maths and science in research that could be useful in the real world.
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As a young University student, Hayley was awarded an esteemed MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year Award (2006) for excellence in biotechnology. In October 2006, she received the AIMES Award for Excellence in Information Technology and Science.
By 2008 Hayley’s research had received significant recognition and her work has been published in various prestigious international journals, including the leading medical journal The Lancet Oncology.
We have one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, so I knew that if I came up with something that was useful in the field of melanoma, it could be locally useful here in our country.
Hayley’s PhD research focused on creating an interactive 3D computer model of skin and lymph nodes to predict and visualise how melanoma spreads in the body after it has metastasised (spread) from the skin. She used data from over 5,000 melanoma patients of the Sydney Melanoma Unit to create this computer model.
Research design
Associate Professor Rod Dunbar (University of Auckland) talks about research design, beginning with a creative idea and culminating in a new and useful way of communicating this data easily.
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Science knowledge is dynamic and builds on prior knowledge
Hayley was able to advance our understanding of melanoma spread patterns by using data from prior studies. Her new visualisation of lymphoscintigraphy data showed prior assumptions about melanoma spread patterns were incorrect.
The human body has 43 lymph node fields to which melanoma can spread – quickly and often in unexpected ways. In diagnosing and treating melanoma, it is important for doctors to know where a melanoma is likely to have spread from any area of skin on the body. Hayley developed a predictive software tool for this purpose.
Hayley decided on bioengineering as a career because she wanted to use her skills in maths and science to contribute to society by developing tools that are clinically useful for doctors.
A PhD – what does it take?
While completing her PhD, Hayley Reynolds at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, shared her views on the attributes needed to complete a PhD and her personal motivation behind her project choice.
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Her work in the field of melanoma certainly made a highly valuable contribution.
Hayley completed her doctoral thesis in 2008, after which she worked for the Auckland Bioengineering Institute’s Biomechanics for Breast Imaging group.
Bioengineering
This short animated video from TVNZ is a simple explanation of bioengineering and how it can improve quality of life.
In 2011, Hayley took up a position at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Hayley worked on developing novel approaches to prostate cancer radiotherapy and imaging biomarkers for kidney cancer.
In 2019, she returned home to Auckland to take up a Senior Research Fellowship at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI), where she had first started her career as a bioengineer.
In 2022, Hayley received a Sir Charles Hercus Fellowship from the Health Research Council that enabled her to set up her own cancer imaging research group within the ABI. Her group is developing software tools, imaging biomarkers and imaging devices to enable precision treatment of melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer and lymphoedema. Lymphoedema is the swelling caused by a build-up of lymph fluid in the body's tissues. Secondary lymphoedema can be caused by cancer treatments like lymph node removal or radiotherapy.
Learn more about the human lymphatic system.
Activity ideas
For those interested in protection from UV, see The face of melanoma – an activity that looks at lifestyle factors that contribute to skin cancer.
In the activity Characteristics of normal and cancerous cells, students complete a graphic organiser to explore the characteristics of normal and cancerous cells.
Related content
Learn more about cancer, melanoma and other skin cancers, and how skin cancers are diagnosed and treated.
Understand why New Zealand skin cancer rates are so high, and some of the risk factors.
Skin is often referred to as the largest human organ. Learn more in Skin structure.
Useful links
Read more about Hayley’s lymphoedema research in this Newsroom article and hear her speaking about the work to RNZ.
See her profile on the University of Auckland website.
Bioengineers aim to improve treatment for prostate cancer looks at Hayley’s research into new imaging techniques to provide more comprehensive information about tumour location and biology.
Take a look at some of the other research projects happening at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and learn about bioengineering career opportunities.
This article is based on information current in 2008 and updated in 2018 and 2026.
