Professor William Alexander Donald
- PhD in Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA, 2010.
- BSc in Chemistry, with a minor in Mathematics, Seattle University, USA, 2005.
W. Alexander听Donald is a Professor & ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemistry at 91色情片 Sydney who is developing and applying analytical and mass spectrometry methodologies with an emphasis on problems in chemistry and biochemistry.
Graduate of University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 2010). Postdoctoral Fellow & Centenary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne (2010-2012). Lecturer, 91色情片 Sydney听(2013). Senior Lecturer, 91色情片 Sydney (2016). Associate Professor, 91色情片 Sydney (2020). ARC Future Fellowship (2020).听Scientia Associate Professor (2021). Professor (2024).
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists Prize for Young Chemists (2011). New South Wales Fresh Science Finalist (2013). ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2013). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Michael Guilhaus Research Award (2015). RACI Physical Chemistry Division Lectureship (2016).听RACI Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Division Peter W. Alexander Medal (2016). Emerging Investigator, Analytical Methods (2015), The Analyst (2016), and The Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2017). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Bowie Medal (2019). The Analytical Scientist 2020 Power List (2020).听ARC Future Fellowship (2020).
President, Vice President, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2024-current). Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2020-2024). Past听Chair, RACI NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2020-current). Treasurer, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2016-2020). Chair, RACI NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2017-2020).听
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Selected research funding
- 2026. AI-Powered Breath Test for Silicosis: Translating Discovery into Practice. icare NSW Dust Diseases Board, Research Translation Grant. Lead Chief Investigator.
- 2026. Expanding the druggable proteome with high-throughput chemistry: a platform for endometriosis and other hard-to-treat diseases. Australia鈥檚 Economic Accelerator Ignite. Lead Chief Investigator, in partnership with MassAffinity.
- 2026. Low-cost, high-resolution mass spectrometry modules to advance healthcare, biotech and diagnostics. Australia鈥檚 Economic Accelerator Ignite. Chief Investigator; project led by Dr Jake Violi.
- 2026. Facility for Next-Generation Volatilomics Analysis of Complex Samples. ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Chief Investigator and 91色情片 node lead; University of Technology Sydney-led collaboration.
- 2025. Ultrasensitive analysis of membrane protein interactions. ARC Discovery Project. Lead Chief Investigator.
- 2025. Centre for Investigating Mechanisms, Peripheral And Central Traits (IMPACT) in Chronic Cough. NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence. Chief Investigator and lead of the Sydney breath-analysis node; University of Melbourne-led collaboration.
- 2024. An Open Access Native Mass Spectrometry Facility. ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Chief Investigator; 91色情片-led collaboration.
Major fellowships
- 2021-2024. ARC Future Fellowship. Cracking post-translational modification codes in high molecular definition.
- 2013-2016. ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA).
The Donald Group develops and applies mass spectrometry to investigate the structure, interactions and reactivity of small molecules, proteins and protein complexes. We combine experimental chemistry, instrument development and computational analysis to address fundamental questions in physical and biological chemistry.
Our research connects fundamental studies of ions and ionisation with the development of new measurement methods. Applications include protein characterisation, methods for early-stage drug discovery, and chemical analysis for health and the environment.
Selected publications
- Zhang, C.; Violi, J. P.; Hansen, C. S.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of the American Chemical Society 2026, 148, 20254-20261.
- Violi, J. P.; Westerhausen, M. T.; Tasevski, B.; Kundu, P.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of Hazardous Materials 2026, 502, 140874.
- Violi, J. P.; Zhang, C.; Donald, W. A. . Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2025, 64, e202509631.
- Hua, L.; Solomon, M. B.; D鈥橝lessandro, D. M.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025, 494, 138679.
- Zhang, C.; Violi, J. P.; Hansen, C. S.; Donald, W. A. . Analytical Chemistry 2025, 97, 16565-16572.
- Baker, M. J.; Gordon, J.; Thiruvarudchelvan, A.; Yates, D.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of Breath Research 2025, 19, 026011.
- Huang, X.; Kamadurai, H.; Siuti, P.; Ahmed, E.; Bennett, J. L.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 14716-14726.
- Zhang, J. D.; Xue, C.; Kolachalama, V. B.; Donald, W. A. . ACS Central Science 2023, 9, 1035-1045.
- Bennett, J. L.; Nguyen, G. T. H.; Donald, W. A. . Chemical Reviews 2022, 122, 7327-7385.
- Nguyen, G. T. H.; Bennett, J. L.; Liu, S.; Hancock, S. E.; Winter, D. L.; Glover, D. J.; Donald, W. A. . Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 21379-21387.
Professional leadership
- President, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (2024 to present).
- Co-Program Chair, International Mass Spectrometry Conference, Melbourne (2024).
- Former Vice-President (2020 to 2024) and Treasurer (2016 to 2020), Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry.
- Former Chair, Royal Australian Chemical Institute NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group (2017 to 2020).
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Editorial activities
- Associate Editor, Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry (2019 to present).
- Editorial Advisory Board Member, TrAC: Trends in Analytical Chemistry (2021 to present).
- Editorial Board Member, Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents (2017 to present).
- Co-editor, Metalloenzymes: From Bench to Bedside, Elsevier.
- Co-editor, Advances in Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry: Fundamentals, Instrumentation and Applications, Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry, Volume 83, Elsevier (2019).
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Industry engagement and research translation
- Co-founder and Scientific Advisor, MassAffinity.
- Scientific Advisor, Preview Health.
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Collaborations with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and instrumentation partners connect fundamental research with protein characterisation, methods for early-stage drug discovery, and chemical measurement for health and the environment.
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My Research Supervision
Current group
Postdoctoral fellows and research staff
- Dr Jake Violi, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Dr Laura Capasso, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Chaehyeon (Claire) Jeong
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PhD students
- Melissa Sam
- Priyanka Kundu
- Chong Zhang (with Hansen Lab)
- Huijun Shi (with Wang Lab)
- Rui Liang
- Wardah Mohsin
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Masters and MPhil student
- Qinyu Zhang
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Honours student
- Enzo Scarpellino
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Group alumni
PhD alumni
- Suhyeon (Renee) Kwon
- Lisa Hua
- Merryn Baker
- Xiaojing Huang
- Diana Zhang
- Alireza Mashouf
- Mohammad Tajiki
- Hyun Eui (Peter) Lee, also an MSc graduate
- Phuong Chi Pham
- Susannah Brown, University Medal for Honours
- Ezaz Ahmed
- Giang Nguyen
- Huixin Wang
- Muhammad A. Zenaidee
- Toby Mills
- Michael Leeming, also an MSc graduate
- Morphy Dumlao
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Masters and MPhil alumni
- Fatemeh Pakdaman
- Fon Kankaew
- Jack Bennett
- Jordan Mastellone
- Kin Hoi
- Liang Jiang
- Panthipa Suwannakot
- Qinwen Liu
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Other former postdoctoral researchers
- Fangtong Zhang
- K. M. Mohibul Kabir
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Honours research alumni
- Ann Teo
- Anthony Tran
- Chung Hong Chan
- Edward Jiang
- Edward Stephens
- Eric Foley, University Medal for Honours
- Grace Yong
- Laura Jeffress
- Olivia Rusli
- Sherrie Liu
- Sunny Xiong
- Vickie Chan
- Wardah Mohsin, now a PhD student in the group
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Undergraduate and visiting research alumni
- Carlota Brito
- Sophie Pickering
- Enzo Scarpellino
- Daniel Loo
- Denise de Meijer, visiting student from Saxion University, Netherlands
- Joe Harding
- MacKenzie Hagan
- Manatsu Nose
- Mohammed Al-Farsi
- Monika Vesse
- Natalie Coulton
- Precilia Hermanto
- Surabhi Naik
- Toby Funston
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My Teaching
Course Coordinator and Lecturer, Analytical Chemistry: Essential Methods (Second Year Level, Terms 1 and 3)
Lecturer, Chemistry 1A (First Year Level, Term 3)
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