PMF People | Center for Open Research Resources and Equipment | Office of the Vice President for Research

Proteomics & Metabolomics

Storrs

Center for Open Research Resources and Equipment

The Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility implements ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) to unambiguously identify proteins, peptides and small molecules in complex mixtures.

Section Menu

Jeremy has over 15 years of mass spectrometry-based research experience. After receiving a B.S. in chemistry from Messiah College in Grantham, PA, he pursued a Ph.D. in bioanalytical chemistry from the University of Virginia under the direction of Donald F. Hunt, a pioneer in the proteomics field. Following completion of his dissertation titled "Studies in Protein Post-Translational Modification using CAD and ETD Mass Spectrometry" and graduation from UVA, he joined Natalie Ahn's laboratory at the University of Colorado at Boulder for a post-doctoral research appointment focused on applying Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry and additional biochemical analysis to study the relationship between structure and function in various enzymes.

Jeremy served the University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry as Director of the Central Analytical Laboratory and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility from 2014 - early 2017 before joining the research community at UConn.

As a member of the Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment, it is Jeremy's goal to bring his expertise and state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based technologies to the University of Connecticut, UConn Health, and the Connecticut public and private research communities at large. Contact Jeremy directly for more information on beginning your future project.

Jen has over 10 years of coast-to-coast mass spectrometry research experience. She was first introduced to MS instrumentation at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, where she completed a B.S. in Biochemistry. She subsequently joined Natalie Ahn's lab at University of Colorado Boulder, where she received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to study the activation and allosteric regulation of MAP kinases. She then accepted a joint postdoctoral position with the Weitzman lab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Garcia lab at University of Pennsylvania, applying proteomics to study the effects of viruses on protein interactomes, histone modifications, and ubiquitin signaling.

As a member of the Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment, it is Jen's goal to provide a creative, customized partnership between the diverse needs of the Connecticut research community and the analytical capabilities available in UConn PMF.

Cliff has nearly 20 years of experience in LC-MS-based analytical chemistry, with expertise spanning analytical development, metabolomics, proteomics, with a particular focus on protein stability profiling for drug-target identification. He received his B.S. in Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst before earning an M.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Northeastern University. His doctoral research in Professor Alexander Ivanov's laboratory focused on developing innovative mass spectrometry-based thermal stability assays for drug-target identification.

Throughout his career, Cliff has held scientific positions at Genzyme, Sanofi, and BPGbio, where he developed and applied advanced LC-MS workflows to support analytical development, manufacturing, translational research, biomarker discovery, and target identification. His work has included thermal proteome profiling (TPP)/Cellular Thermal Shift Assays (CETSA), and photoaffinity labeling-mass spectrometry (PAL-MS). Working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams, he has applied these technologies to address complex biological questions and accelerate therapeutic discovery.

Cliff joined PMF in 2026 to help establish and support the new UConn Health PMF laboratory located in L1089. As a member of the Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment, he is committed to partnering with investigators to design rigorous experimental strategies, develop robust mass spectrometry workflows, and generate high-quality, biologically meaningful data. His goal is to make advanced proteomics and metabolomics technologies accessible while providing practical scientific guidance from project conception through data interpretation.

Shaheen brings over six years of experience in mass spectrometry-based research, with expertise in metabolomics, LCMS method development, and small molecule analysis. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, she served as a Metabolomics Specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City where she worked within the Cell Metabolism Core Facility. There, she developed and optimized LCMS workflows for the analysis of diverse classes of small molecules across a range of biological samples.

Shaheen holds an M.Sc. in Biosciences from Jamia Millia Islamia, India, and a Ph.D. from the Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, India. Her doctoral research focused on metabolic alterations associated with Hepatitis E virus infection, providing her with a strong foundation in virology, cellular metabolism, and metabolomics.

As a member of the Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility within the Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment (COR²E), Shaheen's goal is to support and advance metabolomics research across the University and broader research community. Shaheen is passionate about leveraging advanced mass spectrometry technologies to enable innovative research and foster collaborative science.

Proteomics & Metabolomics

Staff

Jeremy Balsbaugh, Ph.D.

About Jeremy

Jen Liddle, Ph.D.

About Jen

Clifford Phaneuf, Ph.D.

About Cliff

Shaheen, Ph.D.

About Shaheen

Faculty Scientific Advisers

Spencer Nyholm, Ph.D.

Daniel Schwartz, Ph.D.

Xudong Yao, Ph.D.

I-Ping Chen, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Past Members of PMF