Prof. Muddiman received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 under the mentorship of the late David M. Hercules. Following Prof. Hercules’s passing, the Department of Chemistry established the Hercules Memorial Fellowship Award to honor his legacy. This award recognizes an outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral researcher, with particular emphasis on scientific creativity, independence, leadership, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines. The award will be presented to this year’s recipient following the seminar. 

Title: The Scientific Journey of a Modern-Day Lavoisier Disciple

Abstract: Since its first demonstration in the 1960’s, the field of mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has emerged as a fruitful area of scientific research with significant impacts to human health. To date, SIMS, MALDI, and DESI have been the primary ionization methods utilized in the field and these approaches have resulted in key new findings for a diverse range of biological questions. However, other emerging ionization methods have great potential to impact the field of MSI. We invented matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (MALDESI) in 2005 and over the past 20 years, we have made tremendous progress in the fundamentals, source development, and demonstrated the principal advantages of this ionization technique over other methods and these will be discussed. 

Mass spectrometry imaging offers a versatile and robust platform to discover and characterize new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers for disease, elucidate and understand biochemical pathways, visualize and quantify endogenous and exogenous compound distributions in tissues and characterize post-translational modifications (e.g., N-linked glycans). Moreover, a multi-omic approach will allow the underlying biology to be more accurately defined, enabling modeling of pathways and identify potential drug targets. The second part of this presentation will present a diverse range of biological questions which are made possible by innovations in our platform and the extensive use of isotopologues. The fundamentals and innovations of each strategy will be integrated throughout for each biological question being presented. Finally, biophysical studies will be presented demonstrating the versatility of the platform.  

Biography: David C. Muddiman is the Jacob and Betty Belin Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Associate Head of Chemistry and Founding Director, Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC) at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC (2018-2023). Prior to moving his research group to North Carolina State University in 2005, David was a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Founder and Director of the Proteomics Research Center at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN. Prior to this appointment, David was an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. It was there that he began his professional career as an assistant professor with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and as a member of the Massey Cancer Center in 1997. These academic appointments were preceded by a postdoctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory under Richard D. Smith from 1995-1997. David was born in Long Beach, CA in 1967 but spent most of his formative years in a small town in Pennsylvania. David received his B.S. in chemistry from Gannon University (Erie, PA) in 1990 and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 under the auspices of the late David M. Hercules. Dr. Muddiman was Editor of Analytical and Biological Chemistry (2015-2020) and he is currently the Coordinating Editor of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry (2022-present), and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, and the Journal of Chromatography B. He also serves as the Chair of the advisory board of the NIH Funded Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, Yale University. Dr. Muddiman has served as a member of the ASMS Board of Directors (2013-2015) as well as Treasurer (2013-2015) and President (2015-2017) of the United States Human Proteome Organization. His group has presented over 835 invited lectures and presentations at national and international meetings including 35 plenary/keynote lectures. His group has published over 365 peer-reviewed papers and reviews and has received six US patents. In 2024 Dr. Muddiman was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is the recipient of the 2023 Donald F. Hunt Distinguished Contribution to Proteomics Award, 2016 Graduate School Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award in the Mathematical, Physical Sciences, and Engineering, 2015 ACS Award in Chemical Instrumentation, 2010 Biemann Medal (American Society for Mass Spectrometry), 2009 NCSU Alumni Outstanding Research Award, the 2004 ACS Arthur F. Findeis Award, the 1999 American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award, and the 1990-1991 Safford Award for Excellence in Teaching (University of Pittsburgh). Dr. Muddiman’s research is at the intersection of innovative mass spectrometry platform technologies, systems biology, environmental science, and model organisms to understand human disease and is largely funded by the National Institutes of Health.