Heather Bean

Heather Bean is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University (ASU), affiliated with the School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Center for Fundamental & Applied Microbiomics. Her research focuses on untargeted volatile metabolomics, developing biomarkers for infectious diseases, and advancing analytical techniques like GC×GC-TOFMS. She earned a PhD in Chemistry (2008) and BS in Biochemistry (1999) from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her lab investigates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human, animal, and environmental samples to diagnose infections and study microbial interactions. Key projects include breath-based diagnostics for Valley Fever and cystic fibrosis, and developing data analysis tools like the MetabImpute R package.

Recent publications highlight VOC biomarkers for fungal infections, methodological advances in metabolomics, and spaceflight analog studies on pathogen behavior. Bean has mentored over 20 graduate and undergraduate researchers, with alumni in academic and industry roles.

She serves on committees including the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Admissions Committee and the SoLS Communications Committee. Her work bridges analytical chemistry, microbiology, and clinical diagnostics, with applications in healthcare and environmental science.