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RABI A. MUSAH, PH.D.

Professor, Department of Chemistry
Director: Center for Achievement, Retention and Student Success (CARSS)
Postdoc: The Scripps Research Institute
Ph.D.: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

““Through sound training in science and math, the quality of life of all the world’s citizens can be dramatically enhanced.””
— Rabi. A Musah

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CURRENT LAB MEMBERS

  • Postdoctoral Researcher

    Ph.D.: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Chennai (2016)

    Dr. Arathala is a postdoctoral researcher whose research interest is to study the atmospheric gas phase reactions using experimental, analytical and high-level computational methods. He received his Ph.D in combustion studies of model biofuels, hydrochloroethers and alkyl silanes using single pulse shock tube and computational methods from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India in 2016 and then he did postdoctoral research at University of California San Diego in the field of atmospheric chemistry. He is currently working on the determination of the environmental fate of volatile organosulfur and other compounds emitted by plants through investigation of the kinetics of their gas-phase reactions when exposed to atmospheric oxidizing agents such as hydroxyl, Cl and NOx species. In addition to performing these studies by FT-IR, he will also work on the development of platforms that interface with the JEOL AccuTOF™ Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART®) mass spectrometer to: (1) conduct DART-HRMS analysis of VOSCs under ambient conditions in air, and (2) study the kinetics of VOSC interactions with relevant free radicals. He will also perform high level computational studies on the kinetics of relevant reactions.

  • Postdoctoral Researcher

    Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2023)

    Dr. Coon is a postdoctoral researcher whose research interest focuses on the application of mass spectrometry towards the development of novel disease detection systems using non-invasive biological matrices and on mass spectral imaging of natural products. She also has experience in the analysis of forensically relevant material including analysis of sexual assault evidence and blow flies that find and colonize corpses.

  • Ph.D. Student

    B.S. SUNY Albany (2021)

  • Ph.D. Student

    B.S.: Southern Utah University (2021)

  • Ph.D. Student

    B.S.: SUNY Albany (2021)

  • Ph.D. Student

    B.S.: University of New Haven (2018)

    Monica is a Ph.D. student who first gained expertise using Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) in the course of developing an approach by which crime scene investigators could rapidly analyze carrion insects that colonize human remains to determine time since death (i.e. post mortem interval). She gained further experience in applying this technique to complex psychoactive plant matrices. Her current project focuses on developing an approach to permit crime labs to rapidly detect and identify tryptamines and other new psychoactive substances (NPS) through the use of multivariate statistical analysis processing of DART-MS collision-induced dissociation (CID) data.

PREVIOUS LAB MEMBERS

Graduate Students

Megan Chambers

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2023)
B.S.: Hofstra University (2017)

Megan is a Ph.D. graduate whose work focused on using mass spectrometric techniques to identify psychoactive materials in a variety of complex matrices, including plants and food products. She is currently a post-doc at NIST.

Amy Osborne

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2023)
B.S.: University of New Haven (2015)

Amy is a Ph.D. graduate who worked on applying ambient ionization mass spectrometric techniques to the field of forensic science with a focus on forensic entomology as well as identifying and quantifying psychoactive plant material. She is currently an instructor at Schenectady County Community College.

Cameron Longo

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2022)
B.S.: SUNY Buffalo (2015)

Cameron is a Ph.D. graduate whose primary focus was on the detection and mapping of diagnostic biomarkers and their metabolites - such as those indicative of contact with and use of psychoactive substances. He is currently a research scientist for the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center.

Meghan Appley

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2021)
M.S.: University of New Haven (2016)
B.S.: Le Moyne College (2014)

Meghan is a Ph.D. graduate whose research focused on the identification of forensically relevant materials using ambient ionization mass spectrometric techniques. She was the recipient of a prestigious National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship. Meghan is currently a post-doc at NIST.

Jessica Hayes

M.S.: SUNY Albany (2021)
B.S.: SUNY Albany (2019)

Jessica is a Masters’ graduate student whose work focused on using mass spectrometric techniques applied to the field of environmental science.

Kristen Fowble

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2019)
B.S.: University of New Haven (2014)

Kristen is a Ph.D. graduate who worked on the development of novel ambient ionization mass spectrometric techniques that can be used for small molecule imaging of samples of forensic relevance. She was the recipient of a prestigious National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship. Kristen completed a post-doc at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Quantico and is currently a senior scientist at Pfizer.

Tianyu He

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2018)
B.S.: Shanghai Normal University (2012)

Tianyu is a Ph.D. graduate who worked on the development of novel materials that have the potential to be used for energy storage and cancer therapeutics. These materials are based on amino acid scaffolds with unnatural substituents introduced. Tianyu completed a post-doc at the University of Minnesota and now is a research scientist at AMRI.

ASHTON LESIAK

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2016)
B.S.: Converse College (2011)

Ashton is a Ph.D. graduate whose research project focused on detection and identification of legal alternatives to illicit drugs. She completed a post-doc at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and is currently a controlled substance analyst at the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.

Justine Giffen

Ph.D.: SUNY Albany (2021)
B.S.: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2012)

Justine is a Ph.D. graduate whose research focused on the development of methods that exploit ambient ionization mass spectrometric techniques for the resolution of challenges in forensics entomology. She is currently a research scientist at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Max Maron

M.S.: SUNY Albany (2015)
B.S.: SUNY Albany (2013)

Max is a Master’s graduate whose area of study included reaction mechanisms at the protein-nucleic acid interface. He also worked on the analysis of plant volatiles in Mimosa pudica. Max is currently a research assistant in Stephen Harrison's Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology at Harvard.

Undergraduate Students

  • Mark Katz (2020)

  • Nana-Hawwa Abdul-Rahman (2019)

  • Peter Kutchukian (2002)

  • Amma Agyemang (2002)

Postdoctoral Researchers

Victor deklerck, ph.d.

Victor is a postdoctoral researcher whose work focused on using mass spectrometry techniques for timber identification and timber provenancing. He is currently a research team leader for the World Forest ID project at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Samira beyramysoltan, ph.d.

Samira is a postdoctoral researcher whose realm of expertise is that of chemometrics and high-level statistical analysis. She is currently a senior scientist of simulations and modeling at PerkinElmer.