Heather Desaire is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the Keith D. Wilner Chair in Chemistry at the University of Kansas, Department of Chemistry. Her research focuses on mass spectrometry applications in bioanalytical and physical organic chemistry, including structural analysis of glycoproteins and organic reaction mechanisms. She pioneered methods to characterize glycopeptides using tandem mass spectrometry and developed rules for dissociation reactions in mass spectrometry. Her recent work integrates machine learning for biomarker discovery, Alzheimer’s disease studies, and detecting AI-generated academic texts. Key tools developed by her group include GlycoPep DB and GlycoPep ID for glycopeptide analysis. Education: B.A. in Chemistry from Grinnell College (1997), Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of California, Berkeley (2001). Postdoctoral work at Quintiles Inc. (2002). Research Interests: Mass spectrometry of glycoproteins and small organic molecules. Machine learning applications in proteomics and biomarker validation. Forensic analysis of latent fingerprints and sebum via mass spectrometry. Structural studies of HIV envelope glycoproteins and vaccine development. Publications highlight advancements in AI detection (over 99% accuracy distinguishing ChatGPT text), Alzheimer’s biomarkers, and lipidomic studies using non-invasive sampling. Her work has been supported by grants including the NSF Career Award and the ASMS Research Award. Awards: William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching (2009), NSF Career Award (2007-2012), and ASMS Research Award (2006). Lab: Desaire Research Group develops cutting-edge tools for glycoproteomics and mass spectrometry data analysis. Collaborations focus on translational research in virology, neurodegenerative diseases, and forensic science.






