Tags: Analytical Seminar


Spatial Metabolomics Through Desorption Electrospray Ionization Cyclic Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Spatial Metabolomics with the advancement of Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) techniques has been increasingly employed in omics research for detecting metabolites, lipids, and small molecules in tissue.1 Unlike bulk metabolomics that detects metabolites in homogenized samples, spatial metabolomics provides insights to tissue heterogeneity, metabolic microenvironments, and localized biochemical processes while preserving anatomical context.2…


2026 Chemistry Alumni Lecture:
Accelerated Microdroplets Reactions: Mechanism and Applications in Materials and Organic Synthesis

Two publications from this lab, in 2011 and 2012, used mass spectrometry to show that the rates of reactions in microdroplets are accelerated by many orders of magnitude. These experiments used ordinary organic solvents and demonstrated that acceleration occurs at the solution/air interface.  These observations were then extended to a range of classical organic reactions. The Zare group showed reaction acceleration in aqueous microdroplets…


Quantification of Black Carbon and Its Coatings Based on Biomass Burning Conditions During G-WISE 2

In 2025, the second iteration of a multidisciplinary campaign known as the Georgia WIldland-fire Simulation Experiment (G-WISE 2) was conducted. G-WISE 2 focused on how different wildfire fuel conditions, such as fuel bed moisture, mass loading, and the inclusion of a high organic fuel known as duff (Zhang et al, 2022), influenced the aerosols produced from the combustion of the fuel beds. Black carbon (BC) is a primary absorber emitted in…


Career Opportunities in the Nuclear Security Enterprise – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS)

Please join us for a presentation from the Pit Production Laboratory at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), on career paths and opportunities for chemistry graduates at the Savannah River Site.   


Cosmic Measurement Science:  Chasing the White Rabbit into the World of the Real

Chemical measurement science does not respect divisional boundaries and often integrates aspects from the domain of chemistry.  Therefore, one may arrive at a point similar to the legendary musician, Gram Parsons, who coined his art cosmic country as it represented something more than the core genre.  Here, I begin to fully embrace the broader aspects of mass spectrometry based measurements.  Mass is a defining physical parameter…


Deriving Three One Dimensional NMR Spectra from a Single Experiment Through Machine Learning

NMR-based metabolomics is a robust analytical tool used to investigate the chemical phenotype of biofluids. The relationships between its components and human health has the potential to alter clinical practices, including treatment efficacy and disease prognosis. As an intrinsically quantitative, highly reproducible and non-destructive technique, often requiring little sample preparation, NMR is ideal for metabolomics. Utilizing targeted pulse…


Integrating Field Studies and Laboratory Experiments to Investigate the Processes and Climate Impacts of Atmospheric Pollutants

Atmospheric pollutants, ranging from traditional organic aerosols to emerging contaminants such as nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), play critical roles in air quality, climate forcing, and environmental health. Yet their sources, atmospheric transformations, transport pathways, and impacts remain poorly constrained. My research integrates state-of-the-art laboratory experiments with innovative field campaigns,…


Immobilization of Transmembrane Receptors for SPR Kinetic Measurements by using SpyCatcher-SpyTag Complex

Membrane proteins are ideal drug targets due to their ubiquitous responsibilities in cellular signaling, substrate and ion transport, and ease of access due to their location in the cell. Membrane proteins are also notoriously difficult to study due to their hydrophobicity and flexible sections. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an optical method that has offered multiple methodologies to study membrane proteins, including immobilizing these…


Properties of Surface-Active Organics in Aerosol Particles Produced from Combustion of Biomass Fuels under Simulated Prescribed-Fire and Wildfire Conditions

Surface-active organics (surfactants) have previously been measured in atmospheric aerosol particles to quantify their ability to reduce particle surface tension and influence the indirect effects of aerosol particles on the climate. However, surfactants have not been extensively studied in biomass burning aerosols (BBA), which could result in an underestimation when quantifying the contribution of surface tension on aerosol-cloud interactions.…


Pathogenic Bacteria Identification and Antimicrobial Genetics by Nanopore Sequencing

Nosocomial bacterial infections are a prevalent issue due to pathogenic bacteria having easier access to invade the bloodstream. Over the years pharmaceutical companies have released a variety of antimicrobial drugs to combat this problem, however, the over-prescription, along with bacteria’s innate ability to adapt, has led to increased resistance.1 Due to current analytical limitations, it is challenging to quickly identify pathogenic…
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