Congratulations to Our Best Speaker Award Winner!

A huge congratulations to Prof. Lars Konermann from Western University who was selected by our attendees as the Best Speaker from this year’s CFABS Post-ASMS Symposia!

The award was selected based on ratings from our attendees, recognizing the presentation that made an outstanding impression on our audience. We sincerely congratulate Prof. Lars Konermann on this achievement and thank them for sharing their work and insights with our community.

As part of the award, Prof. Lars Konermann will receive a CAD$2,000 travel award to travel to Lake Louise to present the same talk at the 38th Annual Lake Louise Tandem Mass Spectrometry Workshop this year.

Congratulations again, Prof. Lars Konermann, and thank you for contributing to another success of CFABS Post-ASMS Symposia. We look forward to seeing you in Lake Louise!

Award Winning Presentation:
Atomistic Insights into the Operation of an Electrospray Ionization Emitter: Dielectric Effects and Electrophoretic Charge Separation

Abstract:
Many operating principles of electrospray ionization (ESI) emitters have been uncovered, but some aspects are yet to be fully elucidated. One of these is the electrophoretic migration of dissolved ions in the solution near the emitter outlet. Also, it remains unclear to what extent the electric field generated by the ESI voltage penetrates the solution (keeping in mind that dielectric effects tend to suppress external fields). We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of ESI emitters containing aqueous NaCl to tackle these topics. ESI in positive ion mode requires the accumulation of excess positive charge in the solution at the emitter outlet. The electric field between emitter and counter electrode acts on this charge, producing a Taylor cone. We show that this excess charge has two contributions, (i) a polarization charge resulting from H2O dipole alignment, and (ii) cation accumulation resulting from electrophoretic charge separation. Factors (i) and (ii) weaken the electric field in the solution, but a residual component remains that drives cation migration in the direction of the counter electrode. The residual field is strongest in the jet that forms at the Taylor cone apex. Electrophoretic movement of solvated cations in the jet promotes elongation and subsequent rupture of the jet, thereby producing ESI droplets. This work marks the first time that basic operating principles of an ESI emitter have been captured in MD simulations, using a model that employs mass spectrometry-relevant dimensions and realistic electrostatic properties.

About the Award Winner (Short Bio):
Lars Konermann is Professor of Chemistry at The University of Western Ontario in London, ON, Canada, with a cross-appointment in the Biochemistry Department. Konermann did his Ph.D. work at the Max-Planck-Institute in Mulheim/Germany (1993-1996). After a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia/Canada (1996-1998) he moved to his current position at Western. Research in Konermann's laboratory focuses on biophysical and bioanalytical protein chemistry. Many of his projects involve the development and application of new mass spectrometry techniques and computational tools. Konermann is the recipient of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) Aroca Award, CSC McBryde Medal, CSC Beamish Award, UWO Bucke Science Prize, UWO Faculty Scholar Award, ETP Ken Standing Award, CSMS Lossing Award, and J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. Outstanding Reviewer Award. In 2015-16 he held a Distinguished Research Professorship, and from 2004 to 2014 he was Canada Research Chair. In 2018 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), and in 2023 he was named Distinguished University Professor. Konermann also received a number of undergraduate teaching awards, and he served as Chair of the Lake Louise Tandem Mass Spectrometry Workshop from 2013 until 2024. Peer-reviewed publications: 183; H-index: 66; total citations: ~15000 (Google Scholar).