Young Jin Lee is a Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University , Ames, IA. His research focuses on advancing mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) technologies, particularly matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), to address biological and forensic challenges. Key areas include spatial metabolomics, on-tissue chemical derivatization (OTCD), in vivo isotope labeling, and applications in plant systems and clinical diagnostics. Research interests span plant metabolomics , forensic fingerprint analysis , and rapid antibiotic resistance testing . Notable methodologies include OzMALDI for double-bond assignment and multiplex MALDI-MS imaging for latent fingerprint profiling. His lab develops novel instrumentation, such as mobilized electrospray devices and nanoparticle-based substrates, to enhance analytical sensitivity and spatial resolution. Forensic applications highlight predicting fingerprint age via ozonolysis kinetics and linking triacylglycerol profiles to individual lifestyle markers. In plant biology, studies investigate galactolipid biosynthesis in duckweed and maize root metabolism using isotopic tracing. The group also explores 3D MALDI-MSI for single-cell metabolomics in plant and zebrafish embryos. Instrumentation innovations include high-resolution MALDI-MS systems and open-source tools like rMSIcleanup for matrix peak annotation. Collaborative work extends to microbiome metabolomics and pyrolysis analysis of biomass. Labs/Teams: Lee Laboratory (Iowa State University). Research is supported by grants focusing on analytical chemistry, forensic science, and plant biology applications.








