Her research interest lies in supramolecular photochemistry involving the organization of molecules into ordered aggregates due to weak interactions. In particular, her work focuses in understanding the effects of salt on the organization of small cyanine dyes. This research topic led her group to develop new synthetic techniques to generate both organic and metallic nanoparticles. More recently, her group designed novel core-shell nanoparticles capitalizing on metal enhancement effects and allowing for the amplification of singlet oxygen production. These new nanoparticles can find application in photodynamic therapy treatment of microbial infection. Thanks to the support of the CNC-IUPAC Travel Awards, Dr. Heyne will attend the 25th IUPAC Symposium on photochemistry (July 2014, Bordeaux, France) where she will present her latest results on nanoparticles and singlet oxygen amplification.