Professor Alison E Ashcroft

Profile

Following a BSc at the University of Liverpool, and a MSc and PhD at the University of Manchester, I carried out a Research Fellowship in Organic Chemistry at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. I then worked as Applications Laboratory Manager/Senior Development Mass Spectrometrist at Kratos Analytical Ltd., Manchester (1983-80); Senior Mass Spectrometrist, Safety of Medicines Dept., ICI Pharmaceuticals, Cheshire (1988-1990); and Senior Applications Mass Spectrometrist, Micromass UK Ltd., Manchester (1991-1997) before joining the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds, where I was promoted to Professor of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry in 2009.

I am a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology

I have received the ASMS Ron Hites Award for Outstanding Research Publication in JASMS (2009), the Harold Edwin Potts Alumni Medal Award for Outstanding Contribution to Chemistry from the University of Liverpool (2014) and (with my colleague Prof. Sheena Radford) the Royal Society of Chemistry's Rita and John Cornforth Award (2015).

Research interests

The Mass Spectrometry (MS) Facility (http://www.astbury.leeds.ac.uk/facil/mass.htm) is located in a purpose-built suite in the Astbury Building (9.107) and has six ESI-MS instruments including: four Synapt mass spectrometers with travelling wave IMS, a customised LCT Premier with high Field Asymmetric waveform IMS (FAIMS), and a Xevo tandem mass spectrometer. The MS Facility runs an analytical service in addition to having an active research group (http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~fbsmaspe/).

My research is focused on developing and applying mass spectrometric techniques and methodologies to the analysis of biomolecules. Our work uses electrospray ionisation (ESI) non-covalent mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and thus we are able to measure the molecular mass and size (i.e. cross-sectional area) of individual biomolecules from within highly heterogeneous mixtures in a single experiment. We study protein folding and aggregation and their relevance to protein-related diseases.

Qualifications

• BSc, University of Liverpool, 1977
• MSc, PhD, University of Manchester, 1981
• CChem, 1981
• FRSC, 2000

Professional memberships

• Royal Society of Chemistry
• British Mass Spectrometry Society
• American Society for Mass Spectrometry