Fernandez Lima, Francisco Alberto Graduate Faculty

Positions

biography

  • Dr. Francisco Fernández-Lima is an Associate Professor (2012-present) in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida International University. He received a BS (2001) and MS (2003) in Nuclear Physics at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technology (Havana, Cuba) and a PhD (2006) in Applied Physics at PUC-Rio (Brazil) under the guidance of Dr. Enio F. da Silveira. He performed post-doctoral studies (2007-2010) at Texas A&M University under the supervision of Dr. David H. Russell and Dr. Emile A. Schweikert. He is the recipient of a K99 (2010-2012) and R00 (2012-2016) Pathway to Independence Award by the NIH, 2015 ASMS Emerging Investigator Award, 2017 NSF CAREER, 2017 ACS Emerging Investigator and 2019 FIU Top Scholar Awards.

research interests

  • Advanced Mass Spectrometry Facility:

    Characterization of the chemical environment at the single cell and sub-cellular level of model cell systems and tissue sections using a "molecular microscope".

    Development of new generation instrumentation and methodologies for biomedical and behavioral research, with emphasis in gas-phase, post-ionization separations, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and new surface probes for mass spectrometry-based molecular imaging.
    Our current and future research is focused on the development of new generation instrumentation and methodologies for biomedical and behavioral research. In particular, our group is interested in the characterization of the chemical environment at the single cell and sub-cellular level of model cell systems and tissue sections using a "molecular microscope".

    There are two main challenges in the molecular characterization of native surfaces: the quantity of sample available for analysis and the dynamic mass range. The long-term goal of our work is to develop nanometer probes for mass spectrometry-based imaging for the study at the single cell and sub-cellular level of "native state" biological surfaces with: i) enhanced lateral resolution, ii) enhanced emission of molecular ions and iii) fast gas-phase, post-ionization separation techniques.

    This integrated approach involves the instrument development and optimization of sample-friendly conditions for the generation of the molecular ions of interest, the design and generation of MS imaging calibration procedures and standards, the incorporation of high-throughput post-ionization separation and fragmentation techniques, the analysis of the gas-phase conformational space of molecular ions, and the characterization of the chemical environment at the single cell and sub-cellular level of model biological systems.

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full name

  • Francisco Alberto Fernandez Lima

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