Our Principal Investigator

email: dayne [dot] swearer AT northwestern [dot] edu

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Dayne was born and raised in Coatesville, PA. He attended Drexel University where he completed an accelerated B.S./M.S. program in Chemistry. During his time at Drexel, Dayne participated in several undergraduate research experiences in chemistry, physics, and engineering labs across academia and industry which taught him about the copious opportunities available through multidisciplinary research in energy and sustainability. In 2014, he moved to Rice University where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow working in the Laboratory for Nanophotonics under the guidance of Professor Naomi Halas. At Rice, Dayne developed the ‘antenna-reactor’ concept for efficiently driving chemical reactions using light and built novel spectroscopic tools for monitoring chemical transformations. After completing his Ph.D., Dayne moved to Stanford University as an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow in the Chemical Sciences working with Professor Jennifer Dionne. His postdoctoral research developed novel lanthanide-based nanophosphors and new methodologies for observing nanoscale optical processes in the transmission electron microscope.

Dayne’s work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, such as an invitation to be a Young Scientist Ambassador for the United States at the 67th Annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting and the Hershel M. Rich Invention Award. Dayne is passionate about teaching and mentorship and has participated in several national and international education initiatives.

When outside of the lab, Dayne enjoys getting out into the great outdoors, traveling, gardening, and photography.