Research Areas
Accelerated Reactions in Confined Volumes
The rate of many reactions can be dramatically increased in microdroplets and thin films compared with bulk phase. This is thought to occur through increased reagent concentration due to desolvation, pH extrema, Le Chatilier's principle, as well as decreased reaction activation energy at the partially desolvated droplet/thin film surface.
Molecular measurements by mass spectrometry in the surgical suite allow for rapid identification of tissue types, estimation of tumor infiltration, and recognition of the presence of prognostic mutations by monitoring of oncometabolites and phospholipids.
MRM-Profiling for Lipidomics and Metabolomics
Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling searches for metabolites with precursor and neutral loss scans in a representative sample and uses these transitions to discriminate samples between healthy and diseased.
High Throughput Synthesis and Analysis
High-throughput mixture anaylsis arrays using desorption eelectrospray ionziation allow for on-line process rate that approach 104 reactions per hour. Data are analyzed automatically by MS using in-house software to produce intensity plots in standard array format.
Novel ion trap scanning methodologies to allow for data-independent analysis of complex mixtures in a single linear quadrupole ion trap mass analyzer with applications in miniature mass spectrometry.
Rapid prototyping methods are used to fabricate lens systems and produce devices for ion focusing, separation, and detection at ambient pressure.
Forensic and Public Safety Applications of Ambient Ionization
Application of ambient ionzation and mass spectrometry to current problems in analytical chemistry, including detection of drugs, explosives, and chemcial warfare agents.
Studies on how dynamic chemical environments, like microdroplets and molecular clusters, could have driven the prebiotic formation of life's building blocks and influenced the origins of chirality.
Mass Spectrometry in the Undergraduate Laboratory
Development of novel, mass-spectrometry based laboratory excercises for undergraduate students.