Xin Ma will join the Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor in January 2025.  At the forefront of Xin Ma’s research is the development of innovative mass spectrometry imaging (MSI)-based tools. These tools are crucial for metabolomics and disease screening, particularly in understanding neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. His work focuses on creating a three-dimensional, high-sensitivity, laser-based platform for single-cell or tissue MSI studies and in-situ structural elucidations of metabolites, lipids and glycans. 

Xin Ma’s approach involves a gentler, matrix-free laser-based technique called laser-induced acoustic desorption, which promises to desorb intact molecules from tissue surfaces with minimal fragmentation. This technique is expected to revolutionize spatial omics studies by providing a broader compound coverage and deeper understanding of metabolic pathways and alterations involved in disease progression. 

Ma obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue University in 2020 and his B.S. from Lanzhou University in 2013, and he recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  At UVA, Ma will work with the Brain Institute of UVA through the Neuroscience Grand Challenge Initiative to explore questions related to the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases.