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Jennings Biographical Sketch
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry 345–347 (2013) 5
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijms
Jennings Biographical Sketch
Keith Jennings was educated at King Edward VII Grammar School, Sheffield and after National Service spent 1952–58 at The Queen’s College, Oxford. He was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Sciences before working with Jack Linnett on the spectroscopy of atomic flames and the recombination of hydrogen atoms on various surfaces for the degree of D.Phil. It was during this work that he first encountered mass spectrometry which was used to determine the purity of a sample of C2 D2 . From 1958 to 1960, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Bob Cvetanovic at the National Research Council, Ottawa on the mercury photosensitized decomposition of n-butane and the addition of oxygen atoms to alkenes. In 1960, he joined the staff of the chemistry department, University of Sheffield under George Porter and his initial research was concerned with the photochemistry of fluorinated alkanes and the addition of oxygen atoms to fluorinated alkenes. In 1963, he obtained his first small mass spectrometer, an MS10, for gas analysis but in late 1964, the department acquired an MS9 on which he carried out his early work on metastable ions and collisioninduced decomposition. In 1967, he took delivery of the first Varian ion cyclotron resonance instrument in the UK and began work on ion-molecule reactions of both positive and negative ions. He was appointed Reader in 1969 and in 1972, he moved to the chair of Physical Chemistry in the University of Warwick. In Warwick, he continued his work on negative ion-molecule reactions and took delivery of an MS50 in 1973 on which he extended his work on metastable ions and collision-induced decompositions. Subsequently, this instrument was modified for studies of surface-induced decompositions and pulsed highpressure work on ion-moleculeequilibria and angle-resolved collision-induced decomposition. Towards the end of the 1980s, his interests turned increasingly towards the use of mass spectrometry to study biological problems and the arrival of the four-sector “Concept” instrument led to work on the sequencing of peptides of molecular weights up to 2500 by means of collision-induced decomposition. This work led to a fruitful collaboration with Howard Dalton in the Department of Biological Sciences which was helped by the acquisition of a Micromass
1387-3806/$ – see front matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2013.05.019
Quattro electrospray instrument in 1994. On his retirement from the Chemistry Department in 1997, he became an Emeritus Professor in Biological Sciences, working more closely for several years with Howard Dalton’s group on peptide and protein sequencing, helped by the acquisition of a Micromass Q-TOF instrument in 1999. He finally retired from his part-time position in 2001 but has kept in close touch with his successor, Jim Scrivens, since then and has collaborated on a number of projects since his retirement. During his twenty-five years in the Chemistry Department, Keith Jennings was Chairman for fifteen years and helped oversee its expansion to one of the leading chemistry departments in the UK. He served for a number of years on the SERC Chemistry Committee, was Chairman of the Heads of Chemistry Departments and served on several committees of the Ministry of Defence and was Chairman of the British Mass Spectrometry Society during the periods 1969–71 and 1984–86. He was on the organising committee of several NATO schools on ion-molecule reactions and gas-phase ion chemistry, contributed to M.Sc. courses in mass spectrometry in several universities in the UK, Portugal, Brazil and India and has lectured on mass spectrometry in more than twenty countries in all five continents. His awards include the Thomson Medal of the International Mass Spectrometry Congress in 1985, the ASMS Distinguished Contribution to Mass Spectrometry Award in 1995, the American Chemical Society Field and Franklin Award in 1997 and Aston Medal of the British Mass Spectrometry Society in 1998. He was also awarded an Honorary D.Sc. from the University of Lisbon in 1997 in recognition of his work for mass spectrometry in Portugal and was Gulbenkian Visiting Professor in the New University of Lisbon in 1996. Most recently, he has edited a book entitled “A History of European Mass Spectrometry” in which a number of prominent European mass spectrometrists give personal accounts of the contributions made by European scientists to mass spectrometry over the past sixty years. Keith R. Jennings (Hon D.Sc. (Lisbon), M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.), C.Chem., F.R.S.C.)
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijms
Jennings Biographical Sketch
Keith Jennings was educated at King Edward VII Grammar School, Sheffield and after National Service spent 1952–58 at The Queen’s College, Oxford. He was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Sciences before working with Jack Linnett on the spectroscopy of atomic flames and the recombination of hydrogen atoms on various surfaces for the degree of D.Phil. It was during this work that he first encountered mass spectrometry which was used to determine the purity of a sample of C2 D2 . From 1958 to 1960, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Bob Cvetanovic at the National Research Council, Ottawa on the mercury photosensitized decomposition of n-butane and the addition of oxygen atoms to alkenes. In 1960, he joined the staff of the chemistry department, University of Sheffield under George Porter and his initial research was concerned with the photochemistry of fluorinated alkanes and the addition of oxygen atoms to fluorinated alkenes. In 1963, he obtained his first small mass spectrometer, an MS10, for gas analysis but in late 1964, the department acquired an MS9 on which he carried out his early work on metastable ions and collisioninduced decomposition. In 1967, he took delivery of the first Varian ion cyclotron resonance instrument in the UK and began work on ion-molecule reactions of both positive and negative ions. He was appointed Reader in 1969 and in 1972, he moved to the chair of Physical Chemistry in the University of Warwick. In Warwick, he continued his work on negative ion-molecule reactions and took delivery of an MS50 in 1973 on which he extended his work on metastable ions and collision-induced decompositions. Subsequently, this instrument was modified for studies of surface-induced decompositions and pulsed highpressure work on ion-moleculeequilibria and angle-resolved collision-induced decomposition. Towards the end of the 1980s, his interests turned increasingly towards the use of mass spectrometry to study biological problems and the arrival of the four-sector “Concept” instrument led to work on the sequencing of peptides of molecular weights up to 2500 by means of collision-induced decomposition. This work led to a fruitful collaboration with Howard Dalton in the Department of Biological Sciences which was helped by the acquisition of a Micromass
1387-3806/$ – see front matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2013.05.019
Quattro electrospray instrument in 1994. On his retirement from the Chemistry Department in 1997, he became an Emeritus Professor in Biological Sciences, working more closely for several years with Howard Dalton’s group on peptide and protein sequencing, helped by the acquisition of a Micromass Q-TOF instrument in 1999. He finally retired from his part-time position in 2001 but has kept in close touch with his successor, Jim Scrivens, since then and has collaborated on a number of projects since his retirement. During his twenty-five years in the Chemistry Department, Keith Jennings was Chairman for fifteen years and helped oversee its expansion to one of the leading chemistry departments in the UK. He served for a number of years on the SERC Chemistry Committee, was Chairman of the Heads of Chemistry Departments and served on several committees of the Ministry of Defence and was Chairman of the British Mass Spectrometry Society during the periods 1969–71 and 1984–86. He was on the organising committee of several NATO schools on ion-molecule reactions and gas-phase ion chemistry, contributed to M.Sc. courses in mass spectrometry in several universities in the UK, Portugal, Brazil and India and has lectured on mass spectrometry in more than twenty countries in all five continents. His awards include the Thomson Medal of the International Mass Spectrometry Congress in 1985, the ASMS Distinguished Contribution to Mass Spectrometry Award in 1995, the American Chemical Society Field and Franklin Award in 1997 and Aston Medal of the British Mass Spectrometry Society in 1998. He was also awarded an Honorary D.Sc. from the University of Lisbon in 1997 in recognition of his work for mass spectrometry in Portugal and was Gulbenkian Visiting Professor in the New University of Lisbon in 1996. Most recently, he has edited a book entitled “A History of European Mass Spectrometry” in which a number of prominent European mass spectrometrists give personal accounts of the contributions made by European scientists to mass spectrometry over the past sixty years. Keith R. Jennings (Hon D.Sc. (Lisbon), M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.), C.Chem., F.R.S.C.)