Viraj D. Gandhi, Ph.D.
Doctoral degree discipline: Mechanical engineering with research focus in analytical chemistry and ion mobility spectrometry
Awarding institution: Purdue University (2024)
Current postdoctoral position/field: Postdoctoral fellow / analytical chemistry
Auburn University department: Chemistry and Biochemistry (College of Sciences and Mathematics)
Postdoctoral faculty mentor: Dr. Ahmed M. Hamid
Areas of research interest/expertise:
- Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) instrumentations
- Computational modeling of ion transport and mobility
- Molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecular structures
My research focuses on separation and identification of molecules in a complex mixture. This could be useful in myriads of disciplines, such as forensics (imagine CSI Auburn!), pollution detection, food safety, etc. I combine the principles of mechanical engineering, computational modeling, and analytical chemistry to advance ion mobility–mass spectrometry instrumentation and structural characterization of biomolecules. I’m contributing towards improving sensitivity of the instruments and developing predictive models for high-resolution structural studies.
Other accomplishments:
- Author of 17 peer-reviewed publications with over 200 citations
- Contributed to development and optimization of advanced IMS instrumentation
- Developed computational tools for ion mobility calculations at high electric field (e.g., IMoS software)
- Experience integrating molecular dynamics simulations with experimental IMS-MS analysis
View Dr. Gandhi's research presentation
