William Alexander Donald

Professor William Alexander Donald is a Professor & ARC Future Fellow at the School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney. His expertise includes chemical analysis, mass spectrometry, ion chemistry, and protein analysis. He has held roles such as Lecturer (2013), Senior Lecturer (2016), Associate Professor (2020), and became a full Professor in 2024. He earned his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (2010), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Melbourne (2010-2012).

His research focuses on advancing mass spectrometry methodologies for applications in chemistry and biochemistry, including single-cell analysis and protein structure elucidation. Key research interests include environmental technologies, proteomics, and physical chemistry. He has pioneered portable ion spectrometers and studies chemical reaction mechanisms using ion-molecule reactions.

• Education: Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (2010)
• Professional Roles: Vice President of Australian & New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry, Chair of RACI NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group

His awards include the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists Prize (2011), ARC Discovery Early Career Award (2013), and The Analytical Scientist 2020 Power List (2020). He has secured grants such as the ARC Future Fellowship (2020-2023) and Discovery Projects focused on single-cell mass spectrometry and protonation isomer detection.

• Grants:
  • Cracking post-translational modification codes (ARC Future Fellowship, 2020-2023)
  • New laser and mass spectrometry methods for detecting protonation isomers (2020-2022)

Donald supervises a diverse research group including postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduates. His editorial roles include Associate Editor of Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry and contributions to Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents.