Job Opening in the LSU Mass Spectrometry Facility

LSUAM Science - Department of Chemistry - Associate - Research 5

The Louisiana State University Department of Chemistry is offering a position as Research Associate in the Mass Spectrometry Facility (MSF), which is located on the LSU main campus in Baton Rouge. The MSF is a core facility that serves all researchers and student of the LSU system as well as partners in the academia and the private sector both in Louisiana as well as in other states. The MSF is staffed by two research associates, and further staffed with graduate and undergraduate students that perform duties in the core facilities as instrument assistants. The facility maintains 5 mass spectrometers: An Agilent 6230 ESI TOF, an Agilent 5977 GC-MS, a Bruker MALDI UltrafleXtreme, a Bruker amaZon Ion Trap and Thermo Scientific Q-Exactive. The facility is equipped to perform most sample preparation techniques in many “-omics” fields as well as in organic chemistry and polymer science. The position will focus on operation of the ESI TOF and GC-MS instruments, and the RA5 will be trained in operation of the additional mass spectrometers present in the facility and the associated equipment. The RA5 will receive training in various sample preparation techniques. The candidate will report to the facility senior personnel, and will communicate directly with users about their projects, samples, and data analysis.

Job Opening for Assistant Professor Analytical Chemistry at LSU

LSUAM Science - Department of Chemistry - Assistant Professor

The Department of Chemistry, housed within LSU’s College of Science, seeks a tenure-track faculty member in analytical chemistry for an August 2023 start date. Candidates are required to have strong experience in analytical chemistry, broadly defined. The successful candidate will join a dynamic research environment and will have multiple opportunities to collaborate within the Chemistry Department (see research themes below) and across the Louisiana State University System. Inclusiveness and diversity are critical to the success of the Department, the College of Science, and the University. The selected candidate will be expected to foster an environment that is supportive and welcoming of all groups.

Bruker Rapiflex Mass Spectrometer Funded by NSF MRI

MRI: Acquisition of a MALDI Tandem Mass Spectrometer (MALDI MS/MS) for Imaging, Biological Research and Chemical Materials Characterization

CHE-2215823

This award is jointly funded by the Major Research Instrumentation Program, the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Professor Kermit Murray from Louisiana State University, on behalf of from 11 investigators in 4 departments across the university, is acquiring a matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) equipped with a photodiode array. In general, mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species in complex samples. MALDI TOF combines gentle ionization (ideal for producing intact ions of peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, synthetic polymers, and other similarly sized species) with a detection mode that offers an excellent balance between sensitivity and accuracy across a wide range of samples. The acquisition strengthens the research infrastructure at the university and within the regional. The instrument broadens participation by giving hands-on access to a diverse student population. The instrument is also used in outreach activities.

The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially impacts studies correlating molecular structure, orientation and dynamics. Researchers use the MALDI-TOF-MS to study a number of exciting projects. Research will be enabled that is aimed at the development of a comprehensive approach to mass spectrometry imaging that is quantitative and capable of biomolecule identification. MALDI imaging is combined with IR and UV laser ablation sample transfer for liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. In addition, novel approaches to further improve the MALDI technology will be developed. Two new platforms are developed that improve biological imaging. Researchers are investigating the effect of coronal charge patterning on the equilibrium aggregate structure of amphiphilic ionic block copolymers. The impact of structural precision in the properties and functions of discrete linear and branched synthetic polymers are being studied. MALDI is being used to validate recently developed high-resolution and high- speed Raman micro-spectroscopy method to detect lipid modulation and image spatial distribution of lipids in vitro and ex vivo brain tissues. The instrument enables the elucidation of the underlying chemistry of homogeneous lignin depolymerization using a contactless gas phase reactor and upgrade fast pyrolysis of lignin toward formation of biofuel. The instrument is aiding the design, synthesis and study of the photophysical properties and potential applications of new fluorophores that absorb and emit in the visible and near-infrared region of the optical spectrum (400–900 nm). Among the current fluorophores under investigation, boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes display a rich array of photophysical and optoelectronic properties. Fundamental knowledge will be gained on alkyne metathesis reactions and the creation of design rules toward catalysts with higher activity and broader substrate scope. This includes the design and synthesis of new catalyst and ligand systems and analysis of their reactivities both experimentally and computationally. Additional studies enabled are the developmental competence of in vitro matured oocytes for use in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), the synthesis and application of a specific class of ionic liquid (IL) compounds termed, “group of uniform materials based on organic salts” (GUMBOS), which are used as MALDI matrixes for imaging applications, and uncovering the rules governing changes in electron transfer after encapsulation of redox active molecules in confined spaces. Researchers are studying molecular catalysts containing metal-ligand multiple bonds that are driven by renewable energy for fuel production and industrial applications.

Waters Synapt Instrument Funded by NIH

The proposal “Waters Synapt XS Mass Spectrometer for Louisiana State University” 1S10OD030429-01A1 with PI Kermit Murray has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for $599,999.

This proposal requests funding for a Waters Synapt XS mass spectrometer that will support biomedical research at Louisiana State University. The instrument will be placed in the LSU Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility which is currently the only user facility on the LSU campus where mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and other analysis to support NIH investigators. The acquisition of the proposed instrument will allow researchers at LSU to conduct metabolomics experiments for which they are currently dependent on outside facilities. This will allow NIH-funded PIs to conduct a larger portion of their experiments directly at LSU, which allows for overall more efficient research. Acquisition of a metabolomics-oriented mass spectrometer will complement the current portfolio of mass spectrometry instrumentation and provide a comprehensive platform for basic and translational research that is at the center of the biomedical research mission of the university. Acquisition of the Waters Synapt XS mass spectrometer will provide a resource that is currently available to LSU biomedical researchers and enable them to expand the scope and efficiency of their work.

Acquisition of the Waters Synapt XS mass spectrometer will support the research of a diverse group of biomedical researchers Louisiana State University in the College of Science, Agricultural Center, and the School of Veterinary Medicine and adds to the NIH support for the State of Louisiana. The instrument will support research aimed biomedical research across the Baton Rouge LSU campus and will allow researchers from multiple units to conduct metabolomics experiments for which they currently dependent on outside facilities.

United States patent 11,371,913 Methods And Devices for Sample Capture Using Gas-Pulse Nanoparticle Displacement

Abstract

Murray Kermit, K., Donnarumma, F., & Stephenson, J. (2022). US Patent No. US 11371913 B2.

The present disclosure provides for sampling instruments and methods of collecting sample particles. The sampling instrument can include a high-pressure pulsed valve coupled to a gas flow system to displace a sample from a surface. Also included can be a voltage supply coupled to a voltage switch, a suction device, a sample collector, and a collection filter. To collect a sample, extractive particles can be deposited onto a sample present on a substrate. At least a portion of the sample becomes coupled to a portion of the extractive particles to form sample particles. High-pressure gas can be discharged at the sample, thereby aerosolizing a portion of the sample particles to disperse aerosolized sample particles. A portion of the aerosolized sample particles can be collected onto a collection filter to form a collected sample.