KFSCIS Professor Fahad Saeed will work with FIU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Francisco Fernandez-Lima to study the Development of Multidimensional Ion Mobility-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (IMSn-FT-ICR MSn) Tools for the Characterization of Complex Mixtures for the National Science Foundation. The new grant will develop new analytical detection and processing tools for the analysis of complex mixtures, with a focus on dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM is the fundamental source of bioavailable carbon, which is transported from terrestrial environments to aquatic ecosystems and plays a crucial ecological role as a source of nutrients for aquatic microorganisms, as protection for aquatic organisms by controlling light penetration, and as a medium to mobilize metals and aquatic contaminants. Using newly devised analytical protocols, the project addresses long-standing basic DOM science and environmental questions and provides a data resource for the research community.