About the Speaker:

Bio:

Dr. Heather Desaire is currently a Dean’s Professor and Keith D. Wilner Chair in Chemistry at the University of Kansas. Her research interests span the fields of glycobiology, mass spectrometry, and machine learning. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in Chemistry from Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA.

Research:

Research in the Desaire group focuses on using mass spectrometry to study a variety of molecules, from large glycoproteins to simple bi-functional organic molecules. Structural information about the molecules is obtained using tandem mass spectrometry. In a tandem mass spectrometry experiment, the compound of interest is isolated inside the mass spectrometer; then, in a second step, it is fragmented. When the fragments are detected, a significant amount of structural information about the original compound is obtained. This technique can be used to characterize glycosylated proteins and small organic molecules, including pharmaceuticals.