Stephen J. Valentine

Stephen J. Valentine is the Eberly Professor of Chemistry at the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University. His research focuses on developing advanced ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) techniques integrated with mass spectrometry (MS), particularly for studying biomolecular structures, protein aggregation, and nanoparticle exposure effects. He holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University and has expertise in analytical chemistry, proteomics, and structural biology. Dr. Valentine co-led a NIH-funded project (2024) to develop IMS-SID/MAD-MS instrumentation for characterizing intrinsically disordered protein structures. His teaching includes courses like CHEM 313 (Instrumental Analysis Lab) and CHEM 750 (Proteomics).

Research interests span gas-phase separations, hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) for structural analysis, and applications in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., huntingtin protein aggregation). He pioneered vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (VSSI) technologies to enhance ionization efficiency and structural preservation. Recent work includes studies on lipid membrane interactions, nanoparticle-induced proteomic changes, and 3D-printed microfluidic devices for mass spectrometry.

Key grants include a NIH award ($1.37M) for instrumentation development. His lab (Valentine Group) collaborates on projects involving protein conformations, disordered proteins, and environmental toxicology. The lab’s innovations in mass spectrometry instrumentation aim to advance ‘omics analyses and structural biology.