About Treasurer

Heather Desaire

University of Kansas

Candidate Statement
I would be thrilled to give back to a society that has been so important to me, both personally and professionally. If elected Treasurer, I'd work to make ASMS even better than it is today by leveraging my budgetary brilliance, my world-class humility, and a strong sense of empathy for all the members of our society. My priorities would be to keep costs low to members, to advocate for increased student support where possible, and to ensure the long-term financial health of the society.

Heather Desaire, B.A. in Chemistry (Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA); Ph.D. in Chemistry (University of California, Berkeley, CA, with Professor Julie Leary.) Associate Scientist, Quintiles, Kansas City, MO. Dr. Desaire is a Professor and the Keith D. Wilner Chair in Chemistry at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.

Dr. Desaire’s research interests have evolved since the beginning of her faculty appointment in 2002, but mass spectrometry has always been at the center of her studies. She spent the first part of her career developing MS-based methods to analyze complex PTM’s on viral glycoproteins, providing in-depth analyses of the glycosylation diversity on numerous HIV-1 Env glycoproteins, including those in Phase III clinical trials. Always having an affinity for numbers, she became inspired by the power and potential of machine learning about five years ago and has since developed a new research interest in applying machine learning methods to mass spectrometry data sets, focusing on developing better biomarkers for medically underserved populations. She won an ASMS Research Award in 2006 and has published over a hundred papers.

Dr. Desaire has continually contributed to ASMS and the broader scientific community. She co-organized the 2018 Asilomar conference. She was a Tutorial Lecturer for ASMS in 2020, that fateful year that everyone attended by Zoom. She has been a session chair at several different ASMS meetings, including the 2023 meeting in Houston. A frequent reviewer for grant proposals, Desaire has served on more than 40 NIH review panels throughout her career. Finally, she enjoys mentoring her PhD students, both in science and in obtaining a healthy work-life balance.

Kevin L. Schey

Vanderbilt University

Candidate Statement
Since my graduate student days many moons ago, ASMS has always been a critically important society for my scientific growth and a source of long-lasting friendships. I have always been very impressed with the consistent excellence in which ASMS has functioned as well as the long-term financial stability that the society has demonstrated. I am truly honored to be nominated for the Treasurer position and, if elected, I will strive to maintain excellence in all that the society does to serve its members.

Kevin L. Schey, B.S. in Chemistry (Muhlenberg College); Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry (Purdue University with Professor Graham Cooks); Postdoctoral Fellow (University of Chicago with Professor Donald Levy). Dr. Schey is currently a Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences as well as Director of Mass Spectrometry Core Facilities within the Mass Spectrometry Research Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Schey’s research interests include the development of methods for membrane protein analysis by mass spectrometry, imaging mass spectrometry, and applications of mass spectrometry to ocular tissues. In particular, he is interested in how proteomes change with age and his efforts have identified many age-related post-translational modifications to lens proteins as well as novel protein-protein crosslinks that are found in both eye and brain tissues. He has also pioneered the use of imaging mass spectrometry in vision research. His work has resulted in over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Dr. Schey has organized and chaired sessions for multiple ASMS conferences and served on the Sanibel Conference committee. He also served as a Counselor and as President of the Imaging Mass Spectrometry Society (IMSS). In addition to his membership in IMSS, he is a member AAAS and of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He is on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry and is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Ophthalmology. He has served on numerous NIH review panels.