Mass Spectrometry Research Team
Prof Steven Kelly DSc IWAF FRSB FRSC FLSW
Professor
Professor Steven Kelly obtained his BSc (hons) in Genetics from Swansea University in 1978 and a PhD in yeast genetics in 1982 also from Swansea University. In 2011 he received his DSc from Swansea University and also worked as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Krebs Institute in Sheffield University (1983-98) and as lead professor for molecular biology at Aberystwyth University (1998-2004) where he established the Wolfson Laboratory for Cytochrome P450 Biodiversity. In 2004 he returned to Swansea University’s new Medical School as lead for research.
Professor Kelly is a Fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, Royal Society of Biology, Royal Society of Chemistry and the Learned Society of Wales. In 2016 he was awarded the George Schroepfer Medal from the American Oil Chemist’s Society for distinguished research on lipids (sterols). This is the foremost honour for studies on sterols. In 2014 he was First Distinguished Visiting Research Professor at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and in that year the European Regional Development Fund project BEACON with Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities won the 2014 RegioStars prize among the EU regional projects.
He is author of more than 300 publications and has been on the Advisory Board of several international symposia. He held scientific conferences in Swansea University including the International Yeast Lipid Conference (2005), International Symposium on Cytochrome P450 Biodiversity and Biotechnology (2006), British Yeast Group (2016) and 30th Anniversary Conference for the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility (2017).
Professor Kelly is Deputy-Director of the BEACON Centre of Excellence in Biorefinery, Director of the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility (2016-18) and besides EU and RCUK funding (BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC) has held National Institutes of Health (USA) programme RO1 support continuously in Swansea University 2004-2022. He continues to work with multinational industries in different sectors (pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, biotechnology, food and drink, water) and also with BEACON helping local SMEs in West Wales and the Valleys.
Dr Ann Hunter
Research Officer
Ann is an experienced analytical research scientist, with a particular interest in the development and application of mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography techniques to the high resolution and accurate characterisation of a broad spectrum of chemical and biochemical compounds. Ann is involved in training staff and external parties in MS, and in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the Medical School, as well as supporting a range of Outreach activities for students from primary school to A-level age and beyond. With her colleagues in NMSF and Waters Corp., she contributed to the development of an educational resource for undergraduates. Ann is a member of the British Mass Spectrometry Society and American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
Mr Marcus Hull
Technician
Marcus has over 12 years of technical laboratory experience. His first three years involved working within the Millennium Group (Tree Ring Research Thematic) based in the School of Geography at Swansea University. The role involved measuring and cutting tree rings from tree core samples covering the last millennia, chemical extraction of cellulose from the wood samples for analysis of the variability of the heavy isotopes carbon and oxygen using an elemental analyser combined with a mass spectrometer. The next four years he worked on the BEACON project within the Medical School at Swansea University. The aim from the project was to link industry with scientific research under the theme of 'Bio-refineries'. Within this role he developed techniques in cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, microscopy, biochemistry and analytical chemistry (mainly in gas chromatography mass spectrometry). He is currently working on the BEACON+ project which is building on the success of the first BEACON project where scientists from Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea universities are collaborating with industry to develop renewable materials, fuel and chemicals. The aim of BEACON+ is to create over 100 new products or processes in partnership with businesses
Former members
Mr Rhodri N. Owen MRSC RSci
PhD Student
Rhodri has over 9 years analytical chemistry experience, he is currently working as a HTC Innovation Technologist with the Welsh Government funded Accelerate project. Rhodri undertook a EPSRC funded PhD under the supervision of Prof Steven Kelly, the thesis is titled "Development and application of novel ionisation sources for mass spectrometry for biological chemistry" (2018-2022). In 2014 he joined Swansea University as a Mass Spectrometry Analyst at at the former EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Facility (2014-18) being promoted to Experimental Officer in 2017, then a Research Assistant in 2021 with the Molecular Neurobiology Group.