Christy Haynes

Age: 35

Born: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lives: Minneapolis, with her husband, two children and dog

Title: Associate professor of chemistry

Selected awards: The National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award, Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, Joseph Black Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry

Hobbies: Urban scavenger hunt races with her research team

Reading: "And So It Goes," a biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., her favorite author

Best part about being a mom: Little kid hugs