Advancing Mass Spectrometry: An EAS Interview with John McLean

At the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) in Princeton, New Jersey, LCGC magazine sat down with John McLean of Vanderbilt University to discuss his research focusing on the conceptualization, design, and construction of ion mobility-mass spectrometers (IM–MS) and structural mass spectrometers, specifically targeting complex samples in systems, synthetic, and chemical biology.

McLean was named the winner of the 2023 EAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in Mass Spectrometry. He earned his PhD at George Washington University in 2001 in the development of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instrumentation for ultratrace elemental analysis. He subsequently performed postdoctoral research at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, and then at Texas A&M University before beginning at Vanderbilt University in 2006.

In this video interview conducted at EAS, McLean answers the following questions:

1. What brings you to EAS? (00:16–00:44)
2. What drew you and what keeps you drawn to studying mass spectrometry (MS)? (00:45–01:23)
3. What are some of the notable moments in your career? (01:24–01:59)
4. What does receiving the 2023 EAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in Mass Spectrometry mean to you? (02:00–02:26)
5. What are the next steps in your research? (02:27–03:05)