Expertise

Research in the group focuses on developing advanced ion mobility/mass spectrometry tools for applications in structural and complex mixture analysis.

Research areas in the group include the following:

  • Developing ion/ion reactions coupled to ion mobility/mass spectrometry for three-dimensional structural determination of proteins and protein complexes. These covalent modifications can give information on protein folding and connectivity. Ion mobility/mass spectrometry gives information about the overall size/shape, stoichiometry, intact mass, and primary sequence
  • Covalent derivatization of targeted functional groups as mobility modifiers by gas-phase ion/ion reactions. We exploit these ion/ion reactions in complex mixture analysis to enhance separation characteristics, adding additional orthogonality to mass spectrometry.

  • Applications: Applying these methods to important biochemical, environmental, and other complex mixtures to facilitate rapid analyses with limited sample preparation. Also, we apply these methods to enable structural determination of proteins not amenable to traditional biophysical techniques. We also study the relationship between structure and function, especially for active site or allosteric binding of ligands, cofactors, and inhibitors.

Research Areas:: Bioanalytical Chemistry | Biological Chemistry/Chemical Biology | Mass Spectrometry | Physical Chemistry/Biophysical Chemistry

Research in the Webb Group focuses on advancing tools for structural biology and biophysical measurements.

Ongoing Research Projects:

  • Gas-Phase Covalent Footprinting
  • Gas-Phase Electrostatic Reactions
Communities
Biochemistry, Chemistry
Degrees
PhD, Purdue University, 2012
BS, College of William and Mary, 2008
Keywords
bioanalytical chemistry chemical biology physical chemistry mass spectrometry biophysical chemistry