McLean Research Group Announcements

Congratulations to Dr. Berkley Ellis on a Successful Dissertation Defense

06.09.2021

Dr. Berkley Ellis’ dissertation (defended June 2021) is titled “Accelerating Natural Product Discovery and Synthetic Biology Workflows Using Multidimensional Molecular Phenotyping”.
Good work Berk!

Amelia Taylor and Sael Sohni Receive Undergraduate Research Awards

04.28.2021

Undergraduate researcher Amelia Taylor receives the Merck Index Award and the Outstanding Chemistry Research Award, and undergraduate researcher Sael Sohni receives the Department’s Analytical Chemistry Award. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Don Davis and Dr. Rachel Harris on Their Successful Dissertation Defense

03.23.2021

Dr. Don Davis’ dissertation (defended March 2021) is titled “Multidimensional Separations in Complex Biological Matrices Utilizing Chromatography, Ion Mobility, and Mass Spectrometry.”

Dr. Rachel Harris’ dissertation (defended March 2021) is titled “Analysis of Biopolymers Using Structurally Selective Analytical Techniques in Combination with Mass Spectrometry”.

John McLean Leads Arts and Science Grand Challenge Initiative

08.26.2020

Prof. McLean leads the recently launched Advancing Solutions to Climate and Ecological Needs and Discoveries (ASCEND) Initiative. It is one of six Grand Challenge Initiatives supported by the College of Arts and Science.

Congratulations to Dr. James Poland and Dr. Jaqueline Picache for Successfully Defending Their Dissertation

08.24.2020

Dr. James Poland dissertation (defended February 2020) is titled “Method Development towards Probing the Gut Metabolome using Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography-Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry.”

Dr. Jackie Picache’s dissertation (defended August 2020) is titled “Strategies for Improving Multiomic Metabolite Identifications Using Compound Libraries, Machine Learning, and Structural Mass Spectrometry”.

The McLean Research Group Members Presenting at the 2020 Virtual ASMS “Reboot” Conference

06.01.2020

The McLean Research Group members will be presenting their research at the 2020 American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Virtual Conference:

Poster Presentations:

Shawn T. Phillips, “Probing the Structural Diversity of Vasopressin, Oxytocin, and Other Neuropeptide Analogues with Cyclic Multi-Pass Ion Mobility Spectrometry”
Jody C. May “A Prototype SLIM-based Ion Mobility Instrument for High Resolving Power Separations Integrated with MS”,
Katrina L. Leaptrot “Lipid Isomer Separations via a High Resolution Prototype SLIM-based Ion Mobility Instrument in Support of High Confidence Lipidomics”,
Jaqueline A. Picache “SIFTER: Chemical Class Prediction of Unknown Biomolecules Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry and Machine Learning”
Andrzej Balinksi “A Novel In-Source Ion Fragmentation Device for Comprehensive Small Molecule Analysis by Collision-Induced Dissociation-Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry”,
Berkley M. Ellis “Rapid Flux Phenotyping by DESI-Ion Mobility-Imaging Mass Spectrometry to Accelerate Metabolic Engineering of Bacteria”,
Don E. Davis, Jr. “The Identification of Intact Phase II Steroid Metabolites in Human Urine Utilizing Liquid Chromatography-Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry”,
Rachel A. Harris “Analysis of Synthesized Polyethylene Glycol-Based Polyurethane Oligomers Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry”,
Bailey S. Rose “Collision Cross Section Calibration Strategies for a Prototype SLIM-based Ion Mobility Instrument”
Emanuel Zlibut “Evaluation of Computational Strategies to Interpret Ion Mobility Measurements for Chemically-Diverse Analytes”

Katie Leaptrot Given 2020 Postdoc Honorable Mention Award

06.05.2020

Dr. Leaptrot has received a Postdoc Honorable Mention Award from the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for her scientific work and mentoring efforts.

McLean Research Group Featured in Chemical & Engineering News

05.25.2020

The lab is featured in a news article that appeared today in C&EN and highlights IM-MS technologies along with the Unified Collision Cross Section Compendium initiated in the McLean lab.

Amelia Taylor Receives EAS Student Research Award

05.23.2020

Another big congrats to undergraduate student Amelia Taylor for winning a Student Research Award for the Eastern Analytical Symposium!

McLean Research Group Retools for Hand Sanitizer Production

04.14.2020

In collaboration with Prof. Janet Macdonald, the McLean Group (Andrzej Balinski and Prof. John McLean) are leveraging their chemical expertise to produce hand sanitizer for Vanderbilt and the greater Nashville area.

The chemical formulations utilized in these efforts yield a high-quality product that exceeds current FDA regulations and WHO recommendations for compounding gels with high antiviral efficacy.

An initial production run of 80 gallons has been completed, with additional product available upon request.

See the MyVU story …

Amelia Taylor Named Goldwater Scholar

04.02.2020

Congratulations to undergraduate student Amelia Taylor for receiving a Goldwater Scholarship!

McLean Group in Minimal Operation Status

03.13.2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the McLean Research Group has transitioned to remote, off-campus operational status, effective immediately. We have enacted a Continuity of Operation Plan to ensure continued maintenance and upkeep of critical research instrumentation and infrastructure. Weekly group meetings have transitioned to a virtual format, and we are continuing to work on manuscripts, grants, and data workups remotely.