Joshua Coon is a professor of

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and biomolecular chemistry and the inaugural holder of the Thomas and Margaret Pyle Chair at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, and an affiliate of the

Morgridge Institute for Research The Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute in Madison, Wis., affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The institute works to improve human health by conducting, enabling and translating ...

. Coon develops scientific instruments to measure molecules in living systems. He focuses specifically on the use of

mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is use ...

to measure the molecular mass of biomolecules, and its application to

proteomics Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, with many functions such as the formation of structural fibers of muscle tissue, enzymatic digestion of food, or synthesis and replication of DNA. In ...

. Joshua Coon, along with John Syka, developed

electron-transfer dissociation Electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) is a method of fragmenting multiply-charged gaseous macromolecules in a mass spectrometer between the stages of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Similar to electron-capture dissociation, ETD induces fragment ...

(ETD) while working as a postdoctoral student in Donald Hunt's lab at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Early life and education

Coon was born in

Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Union Township but is politic ...

. Coon earned his B.Sc. from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

in 1988. He received his Ph.D. from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in 2002, where he worked with Willard Harrison.

Career

Coon was a postdoctoral student in Donald Hunt's lab at the

from 2002 to 2005. There Joshua Coon and John Syka developed

(ETD). In 2005, Coon joined the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He became an Associate Professor in 2010, and a Professor in 2012.

Research interests

Mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is use ...

Electron-transfer dissociation Electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) is a method of fragmenting multiply-charged gaseous macromolecules in a mass spectrometer between the stages of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Similar to electron-capture dissociation, ETD induces fragment ...

Proteomics Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, with many functions such as the formation of structural fibers of muscle tissue, enzymatic digestion of food, or synthesis and replication of DNA. In ...

Quantitative proteomics Quantitative proteomics is an analytical chemistry technique for determining the amount of proteins in a sample. The methods for protein identification are identical to those used in general (i.e. qualitative) proteomics, but include quantificatio ...

and

Isobaric labeling Isobaric labeling is a mass spectrometry strategy used in quantitative proteomics. Peptides or proteins are labeled with chemical groups that have (at least nominally) identical mass (isobaric), but vary in terms of distribution of heavy isotopes ...

Awards

* 2018, Discovery in Proteomic Sciences Award from the

Human Proteome Organization The Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) is an international consortium of national proteomics research associations, government researchers, academic institutions, and industry partners. The organization was launched in February 2001, and it promotes ...

(HUPO). * 2012,

Biemann Medal The Biemann Medal is awarded annually by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) to an individual early in his or her career in recognition of significant achievement in basic or applied mass spectrometry. It is named after professor K ...

, for work on electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) * 2010, Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award * 2009, Ken Standing Award, University of Manitoba * 2008,

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

CAREER Award * 2007, American Society of Mass Spectrometry Research Award for “significant achievement in basic or applied mass spectrometry made by an individual early in his or her career” * 2007,

Beckman Young Investigators Award The Beckman Young Investigators Award was established by Mabel and Arnold Beckman in 1991, and is now administered by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program is intended to provide research support to p ...

* 2007,

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...

Young Investigator Award * 2006, One of "Tomorrow's PIs" chosen by ''Genome Technology'' magazine

External links

Joshua J. Coon
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry)

References

21st-century American chemists Mass spectrometrists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-scientist-stub