The McLuckey Lab
Top row: Zach Kruger, Katherine Lee, Sam Mehnert, Rebekah Bogle, Jordan Fritz, Swetashree Acharya
Bottom row: Nicholas Ellin, Nicolas Pizzala, Erick Baez Bolivar, Seth Horn, Scott McLuckey, Alex Koers, Sebastian Ortiz-Blanco, Boukar "Zuzu" Faye
Scott McLuckey earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA in 1978. He went on to pursue his PhD at Purdue University, working under the guidance of Graham Cooks, graduating in 1982. After a Post-Doc at the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam, he joined Oak Ridge National Lab. He joined Purdue in January of 2000 and was given the title of John A. Leighty Distinguished Professor in 2008.
Email: mcluckey@purdue.edu
I received my B.A. in chemistry and philosophy from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) in 2020. My favorite classes were instrumental analysis and modern philosophy. I had a mix of research interests in organic synthesis, biophysical chemistry, and analytical chemistry of volatile organic compounds. I joined the McLuckey group in the fall of 2020. Right now, I am working on incorporating our ion-ion reaction chemistry into the world of native mass spectrometry doing charge reductions and ion parking on macromolecular ions. I enjoy sailing in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, and backpacking year-round. I also make homemade applesauce for the lab every fall.
Email: npizzala@purdue.edu
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I received my B.S. in chemistry and forensic science from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV in 2020, during which I interned with the New Jersey State Police - Office of Forensic Science where I performed a method validation on extracting cannabinoids from various candies. My undergraduate research consisted of statistical analyses on GC-EI-MS data of illicit substances to develop a more advanced algorithm for substance identification. I joined the McLuckey group in 2020 and am working on the development of a collisional activation method using dipolar DC as a means of obtaining activation parameters on a quadrupole ion trap. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, cross-stitching intricate designs, and rock climbing. I also own over 30 different succulents and cacti.
Email: smehnert@purdue.edu
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I received my bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Universidad Central de Venezuela. I was lucky enough I could do my undergraduate thesis project in Procter and Gamble (Caracas, Venezuela), where I had the opportunity to work as a full-time employee once graduated. There I learned about liquid chromatography, method development and validation, and physical methods. It was a great experience. Before landing in the US to attend Purdue, I finished a master program in analytical chemistry at the University of Alberta in Canada. That lab focuses on measuring protein-carbohydrate binding interaction using mass spectrometry (MS). Then, I joined Purdue in 2021 to enroll in the PhD program. Currently, I am working on biological mass spectrometry.
Email: ebaezbol@purdue.edu
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Jordan obtained his BS in Chemistry with a minor in Music Principles and Production from Belmont University. He later took his undergraduate experience with synthesizing lanthenide chelators for targeted molecular imaging to the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, where he focused on imaging throughput of small animal models on the Institute's PET, SPECT and CT instrumentation.
His passion for all things mass spec however was formed during the next decade + of his career, where he worked for Aegis Sciences, first cutting his teeth on high-throughput GCMS and LCMS systems, and then later for SCIEX, honing his troubleshooting and service skills and serving customers throughout North America. While working, Jordan completed his MS in Analytical Chemistry from Illinois Institute of Technology, working on the development and validation of an LCMSMS method for tricyclic antidepressants.
In the McLuckey group, Jordan’s research focus is primarily spent on the development and application of a dual electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT). His free time is spent connecting with family, church and friends, and he can often be found elbow-deep in read-a-thons, musical jam sessions, or any other dad-inspired activities with his kids!
Email: jfritz@purdue.edu
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In 2022, I received my B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida with summa cum laude honors. During my undergraduate career I worked on developing a computational method for comparing the spectral similarity of biological regions in an imaging mass spectrometry experiment. After graduating I spent a year working at the National Institutes of Health focused on developing a radiopharmaceutical method of monitoring molar activities of 18F compounds. I joined the McLuckey lab in 2023 and am focused on ion trap development with digital waveforms. I enjoy playing video games, tinkering with electronics, and binging random shows.
Email: nellin@purdue.edu
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I go by Zuzu. I received my B.S in Chemistry from Appalachian State University and my M.S in
Biochemistry from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After graduate school, I
developed and performed analytical chemistry methods at pharmaceutical companies. I came to
Purdue as a Bridge Scholar in the summer of 2023 and joined the McLuckey group later that
year. I am working on the analysis of macromolecules, such as adenosine associated virus and
ribosome, via ion/ion reactions for mass determination. I enjoy all things nerdy, with a particular
interest in video games
Email: faye@purdue.edu
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I received my B.A. in Chemistry and Philosophy from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN in 2023. While there, I studied with Dr. Paul Schmitt investigating second harmonic generation microscopy applications in agrochemicals. Since then, I left the world of optics to pursue mass spectroscopy with a summer internship at Eli Lilly where I studied membrane protein structures with hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). I joined the McLuckey group in 2023 and am working on modeling salt adduction in biological analytes as well as studying the effects of dipolar DC voltages on the kinetics of gas-phase HDX-MS. In my personal life I enjoy spending time with my wife, Riley, and cat, Juniper. As well I love to collect and learn about many kinds of world whisk(e)ys, playing video games, going to the gym, and spending time in nature hiking.
Email: koers@purdue.edu
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I earned my BSc from the University of Texas at Arlington, where I had the pleasure to work with Dr. Purnendu Dasgupta and his team on home-built ion chromatography instrumentation. It was there that I developed a love of analytical chemistry at large, and an appreciation for a fundamentals-based approach to learning. I joined the McLuckey group in the Fall of 2023, where I have since been researching various aspects of radical-directed dissocation of peptides in the gas-phase. Yeah... it's pretty rad! In my spare time, I hang out with my wonderful family, play a bit of guitar/synth, and read.
Email: horn96@purdue.edu
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I received my B.S. in Chemistry from Asbury University in 2024. During my undergrad, I had many summer research opportunities, including spending a summer at Argonne National Lab and the NASA Glenn Research center. I joined the McLuckey lab in 2024 and am currently working on lipid MS/MS analysis, with a focus on finding a way to get structural information from eicosanoids. In my spare time, I enjoy reading sci-fi and doing fiber arts.
Email: bogler@purdue.edu
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I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in chemistry and a concentration in computational chemistry. There, I worked in Prof. Evan Williams' lab using native mass spectrometry to study protein stability and aggregation. I joined the McLuckey group in Fall 2024, where I am working on using dipolar DC for lipid characterization. In my free time, I like to dance, eat, and sell my soul to League of Legends.
Email: kjlee@purdue.edu
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I received my B.A in Chemistry from Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN) in 2023. After graduating I continued with my research advisor Dr. Dwight Stoll learning about two-dimensional liquid chromatography and studying green mobile phase alternatives. I joined the McLuckey group in fall 2024 and have since started researching magic number salt clusters via ion-ion reactions in an effort to better understand their properties. I love watching and playing hockey, and supporting my Minnesota sports teams, as well as reading and going to the gym. Ask me about the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Email: zkruger@purdue.edu
Holaaa! Todo bien parce?
I’m Sebastian Ortiz, a Colombian chemist with a bachelor’s from Industrial University of Santander (UIS, COL), experienced in complex mixture analysis, mass spectrometry (MS), and forensic chemistry. During my undergrad, I led a research project in environmental and analytical chemistry (advised by Prof. Elena E. Stashenko) and presented my work at conferences in Colombia, the U.S., Brazil, and Greece—always eager for more!
I joined McLuckey’s lab in summer 2024, first as a visiting scholar and later as a Ph.D. student, diving into ion-ion reactions for probing new peptide fragmentation pathways under Sarah Nsiah’s mentorship. Not stopping there, I decided to take on the “big guys” in MS—Native Protein MS. With the guidance of my lab mates (Seth Horn, Zuzu Faye, and Nick Pizzala), I began exploring activation methods (e.g., IT-CID, DDC, and Beam-Type CID) and their effects on Native MS, using different additives and collisional gases.
Beyond science, I enjoy languages, exploring cultures, and geeking out over science history and anthropology. Fun fact: I consider myself an amateur gym rat—I just can’t skip a workout, even if it means hitting the gym at 10 PM!r gym rat—I just can’t skip a workout, even if it means hitting the gym at 10 PM!
Email: sortizbl@purdue.edu
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Department of Chemistry, Purdue University
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