My Expertise
Chemical analysis, mass spectrometry, ion chemistry, protein analysis
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Analytical Chemistry, Analytical Biochemistry, Analytical Spectrometry, Proteomics and Intermolecular Interactions (excl. Medical Proteomics), Environmental Technologies, Physical Chemistry not elsewhere classifiedSEO tags
Biography
W. Alexander Donald is a Professor & ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemistry at UNSW Sydney who is developing and applying analytical and mass spectrometry methodologies with an emphasis on problems in chemistry and biochemistry.
Graduate of University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 2010). Postdoctoral Fellow & Centenary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne (2010-2012). Lecturer, UNSW Sydney (2013). Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney...view more
W. Alexander Donald is a Professor & ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemistry at UNSW Sydney who is developing and applying analytical and mass spectrometry methodologies with an emphasis on problems in chemistry and biochemistry.
Graduate of University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 2010). Postdoctoral Fellow & Centenary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne (2010-2012). Lecturer, UNSW Sydney (2013). Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney (2016). Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney (2020). ARC Future Fellowship (2020). Scientia Associate Professor (2021). Professor (2024).
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists Prize for Young Chemists (2011). New South Wales Fresh Science Finalist (2013). ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2013). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Michael Guilhaus Research Award (2015). RACI Physical Chemistry Division Lectureship (2016). RACI Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Division Peter W. Alexander Medal (2016). Emerging Investigator, Analytical Methods (2015), The Analyst (2016), and The Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2017). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Bowie Medal (2019). The Analytical Scientist 2020 Power List (2020). ARC Future Fellowship (2020).
President, Vice President, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2024-current). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2020-2024). Past Chair, RACI NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2020-current). Treasurer, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2016-2020). Chair, RACI NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2017-2020).
My Grants
Selected research funding
- 2026. AI-Powered Breath Test for Silicosis: Translating Discovery into Practice. icare NSW Dust Diseases Board, Research Translation Grant. Lead Chief Investigator.
- 2026. Expanding the druggable proteome with high-throughput chemistry: a platform for endometriosis and other hard-to-treat diseases. Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite. Lead Chief Investigator, in partnership with MassAffinity.
- 2026. Low-cost, high-resolution mass spectrometry modules to advance healthcare, biotech and diagnostics. Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite. Chief Investigator; project led by Dr Jake Violi.
- 2026. Facility for Next-Generation Volatilomics Analysis of Complex Samples. ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Chief Investigator and UNSW node lead; University of Technology Sydney-led collaboration.
- 2025. Ultrasensitive analysis of membrane protein interactions. ARC Discovery Project. Lead Chief Investigator.
- 2025. Centre for Investigating Mechanisms, Peripheral And Central Traits (IMPACT) in Chronic Cough. NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence. Chief Investigator and lead of the Sydney breath-analysis node; University of Melbourne-led collaboration.
- 2024. An Open Access Native Mass Spectrometry Facility. ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Chief Investigator; UNSW-led collaboration.
Major fellowships
- 2021-2024. ARC Future Fellowship. Cracking post-translational modification codes in high molecular definition.
- 2013-2016. ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA).
My Qualifications
- PhD in Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA, 2010.
- BSc in Chemistry, with a minor in Mathematics, Seattle University, USA, 2005.
My Research Activities
The Donald Group develops and applies mass spectrometry to investigate the structure, interactions and reactivity of small molecules, proteins and protein complexes. We combine experimental chemistry, instrument development and computational analysis to address fundamental questions in physical and biological chemistry.
Our research connects fundamental studies of ions and ionisation with the development of new measurement methods. Applications include protein characterisation, methods for early-stage drug discovery, and chemical analysis for health and the environment.
Selected publications
- Zhang, C.; Violi, J. P.; Hansen, C. S.; Donald, W. A. Reactive Ions in Aqueous Electrospray Microdroplet Experiments Originate from Electrical Discharge. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2026, 148, 20254-20261.
- Violi, J. P.; Westerhausen, M. T.; Tasevski, B.; Kundu, P.; Donald, W. A. Toxic metals and carcinogens in tattoo inks available in Australia. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2026, 502, 140874.
- Violi, J. P.; Zhang, C.; Donald, W. A. Reduced Pressure Ionization Enhances Native Mass Spectrometry of Proteins and Protein Complexes. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202509631.
- Hua, L.; Solomon, M. B.; D’Alessandro, D. M.; Donald, W. A. Dual-functional metal-organic frameworks for adsorptive removal and ultra-trace quantitation of 50 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025, 494, 138679.
- Zhang, C.; Violi, J. P.; Hansen, C. S.; Donald, W. A. Supercharging Proteins to Near the Theoretical Limit via Reduced Pressure Ionization. Analytical Chemistry 2025, 97, 16565-16572.
- Baker, M. J.; Gordon, J.; Thiruvarudchelvan, A.; Yates, D.; Donald, W. A. Rapid, non-invasive breath analysis for enhancing detection of silicosis using mass spectrometry and interpretable machine learning. Journal of Breath Research 2025, 19, 026011.
- Huang, X.; Kamadurai, H.; Siuti, P.; Ahmed, E.; Bennett, J. L.; Donald, W. A. Oligomeric Remodeling by Molecular Glues Revealed Using Native Mass Spectrometry and Mass Photometry. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 14716-14726.
- Zhang, J. D.; Xue, C.; Kolachalama, V. B.; Donald, W. A. Interpretable Machine Learning on Metabolomics Data Reveals Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease. ACS Central Science 2023, 9, 1035-1045.
- Bennett, J. L.; Nguyen, G. T. H.; Donald, W. A. Protein-Small Molecule Interactions in Native Mass Spectrometry. Chemical Reviews 2022, 122, 7327-7385.
- Nguyen, G. T. H.; Bennett, J. L.; Liu, S.; Hancock, S. E.; Winter, D. L.; Glover, D. J.; Donald, W. A. Multiplexed Screening of Thousands of Natural Products for Protein-Ligand Binding in Native Mass Spectrometry. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 21379-21387.
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
- Physical and bioanalytical chemistry
- Mass spectrometry, ion mobility and instrument development
- Protein structure, protein complexes and molecular interactions
- Ionisation mechanisms, ion chemistry and chemical reactivity
- Computational analysis and machine learning for chemical and biological data
- Chemical analysis for health and the environment
Currently supervising
Current group
Postdoctoral fellows and research staff
- Dr Jake Violi, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Dr Laura Capasso, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Chaehyeon (Claire) Jeong
PhD students
- Melissa Sam
- Priyanka Kundu
- Chong Zhang (with Hansen Lab)
- Huijun Shi (with Wang Lab)
- Rui Liang
- Wardah Mohsin
Masters and MPhil student
- Qinyu Zhang
Honours student
- Enzo Scarpellino
Group alumni
PhD alumni
- Suhyeon (Renee) Kwon
- Lisa Hua
- Merryn Baker
- Xiaojing Huang
- Diana Zhang
- Alireza Mashouf
- Mohammad Tajiki
- Hyun Eui (Peter) Lee, also an MSc graduate
- Phuong Chi Pham
- Susannah Brown, University Medal for Honours
- Ezaz Ahmed
- Giang Nguyen
- Huixin Wang
- Muhammad A. Zenaidee
- Toby Mills
- Michael Leeming, also an MSc graduate
- Morphy Dumlao
Masters and MPhil alumni
- Fatemeh Pakdaman
- Fon Kankaew
- Jack Bennett
- Jordan Mastellone
- Kin Hoi
- Liang Jiang
- Panthipa Suwannakot
- Qinwen Liu
Other former postdoctoral researchers
- Fangtong Zhang
- K. M. Mohibul Kabir
Honours research alumni
- Ann Teo
- Anthony Tran
- Chung Hong Chan
- Edward Jiang
- Edward Stephens
- Eric Foley, University Medal for Honours
- Grace Yong
- Laura Jeffress
- Olivia Rusli
- Sherrie Liu
- Sunny Xiong
- Vickie Chan
- Wardah Mohsin, now a PhD student in the group
Undergraduate and visiting research alumni
- Carlota Brito
- Sophie Pickering
- Enzo Scarpellino
- Daniel Loo
- Denise de Meijer, visiting student from Saxion University, Netherlands
- Joe Harding
- MacKenzie Hagan
- Manatsu Nose
- Mohammed Al-Farsi
- Monika Vesse
- Natalie Coulton
- Precilia Hermanto
- Surabhi Naik
- Toby Funston
My Engagement
Professional leadership
- President, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2024 to present).
- Co-Program Chair, International Mass Spectrometry Conference, Melbourne (2024).
- Former Vice-President (2020 to 2024) and Treasurer (2016 to 2020), Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry.
- Former Chair, Royal Australian Chemical Institute NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2017 to 2020).
Editorial activities
- Associate Editor, Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry (2019 to present).
- Editorial Advisory Board Member, TrAC: Trends in Analytical Chemistry (2021 to present).
- Editorial Board Member, Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents (2017 to present).
- Co-editor, Metalloenzymes: From Bench to Bedside, Elsevier.
- Co-editor, Advances in Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry: Fundamentals, Instrumentation and Applications, Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry, Volume 83, Elsevier (2019).
Industry engagement and research translation
- Co-founder and Scientific Advisor, MassAffinity.
- Scientific Advisor, Preview Health.
Collaborations with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and instrumentation partners connect fundamental research with protein characterisation, methods for early-stage drug discovery, and chemical measurement for health and the environment.
My Teaching
Course Coordinator and Lecturer, Analytical Chemistry: Essential Methods (Second Year Level, Terms 1 and 3)
Lecturer, Chemistry 1A (First Year Level, Term 3)
Location
University of New South Wales
Science & Engineering Building (E8)
Office 601, Level 6
Kensington Campus
Sydney, NSW, 2052
Australia
Publications
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6622-8193