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William Kew
Chemist

Chemist William ("Will") Kew serves as leader of EMSL's Metal-Binding Biomolecules Community Science Campaign.

Will works on high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analysis of complex mixtures. He joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and EMSL in 2019 as a postdoctoral research associate and transitioned to staff in summer 2020. He graduated in 2018 from the University of Edinburgh with a PhD in chemistry, studying Scotch whisky as a complex mixture by high-resolution MS and NMR techniques.  

His research includes instrument and method development on the FTICR and Orbitrap mass spectrometry platforms, method development and validation in NMR, data analysis and visualization, and software development. His current projects include the development of the next generation 21 Tesla FTICR mass spectrometer and several other key technology development projects covering complex mixtures, stable isotopes, and imaging mass spectrometry.

Research Interests

  • Mass Spectrometry 
  • NMR Spectroscopy  
  • Complex Mixtures 
  • Metabolomics 
  • Instrument Development 
  • Software Development 

Education

  • PhD in Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, 2018 
  • MS in Chemistry, University of Saint Andrews, 2014 

Publications

2025

  • Dewey, C.; Corilo, Y.; Kew, W.; Boiteau, R. "Data Set Analysis to Reduce Uncertainty in Formula Assignments of Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectra" Anal Chem 2025, 97 (25), 13031-13039 doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06826
     
  • Shi, C.; Mudunuru, M.; Bowman, M.; Zhao, Q.; Toyoda, J.; Kew, W. et al. "Scaling High-Resolution Soil Organic Matter Composition to Improve Predictions of Potential Soil Respiration Across the Continental United State" Geophys Res Lett 2025, 52 (4) doi:10.1029/2024GL113091
     
  • Roebuck, J. A., Jr.; Grieger, S.; Barnes, M. E.; Gillespie, X.; Bladon, K. D.; Bailey, J. D.; Graham, E. B.; Chu, R.; Kew, W.; et al. "Molecular shifts in dissolved organic matter along a burn severity continuum for common land cover types in the Pacific Northwest, USA" Sci Total Environ 2025, 958, 178040. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178040
     
  • Flores, J. E.; Prymolenna, A. V.; Lewis, L. A.; Winans, N. M.; Eder, E. K.; Kew, W.; et al. "nmRanalysis: An Open-Source Web Application for Semi-automated NMR Metabolite Profiling" Anal Chem 2025, 97 (13), 7037-7046. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05104

2024

  • Cheng, Z.; ... Kew, W., et al., "Enhanced light absorption for solid-state brown carbon from wildfires due to organic and water coatings" Nat Commun, (2024), 15, 10326 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54506-5
     
  • Kew, W., et al., "Reviews and syntheses: Opportunities for robust use of peak intensities from high-resolution mass spectrometry in organic matter studies" Biogeosciences, (2024), 4665-4679, 21(20), doi:10.5194/bg-21-4665-2024
     
  • Vandergrift, G. W.; Kew, W.; Andersen, A.; Lukowski, J. K.; Goo, Y. A.; Anderton, C. R. "Experimental and Computational Evaluation of Lipidomic In-Source Fragmentation as a Result of Postionization with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization" Anal Chem 2024, 96 (41), 16127-16133. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00258
     
  • Qafoku, O.; Andersen, A.; Zhao, Q.; Mergelsberg, S. T.; Kew, W. R. et al., "Synergetic Effects of Soil Organic Matter Components During Interactions with Minerals" Environ Sci Technol (2024), 58 (52), 23018-23030. doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c07380
     
  • Myers-Pigg, A.N., ... Kew, W., et al., "Experimental Open Air Burning of Vegetation Enhances Organic Matter Chemical Heterogeneity Compared to Laboratory Burns" Env. Sci. and Tech., (2024), 9679–9688, 58(22), doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c10826
     
  • Arredondo, M.G., Kew, W., et al., "Differential Exudation Creates Biogeochemically Distinct Microenvironments during Rhizosphere Evolution" Env. Sci. and Tech., (2024), 18713-18722, 58(42), doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c04108
     
  • Coffey, N., ... Kew, W., et al., "Annotation of DOM metabolomes with an ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry molecular formula library" Org. Geochem., (2024), 104880, 197, doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2024.104880
     
  • DiDonato, N., ... Kew, W., et al., "Improved Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by Integrating FT-ICR MS, Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, and Molecular Networking: A Case Study of Root Litter Decay under Drought Conditions" Anal. Chem., (2024), 11699-11706, 96(29), doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00184
     
  • Avalon, N.E., ... Kew, W., et al., "Leptochelins A–C, Cytotoxic Metallophores Produced by Geographically Dispersed Leptothoe Strains of Marine Cyanobacteria" J.A.C.S., (2024), 18626-18638, 146(27), doi:10.1021/jacs.4c05399
     
  • Boiteau, R., ... Kew, W., et al., "Relating Molecular Properties to the Persistence of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter with Liquid Chromatography Ultrahigh-Resolution Mass Spectrometry" Env. Sci. and Tech., (2024), 3267-3277, 58(7), doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c08245

2023

  • Kew, W., Boiteau, R.M., Eiler, J.M., Paša-Tolić, L., Moran, J.J., "Natural Abundance Isotope Ratio Measurements of Organic Molecules Using 21 T FTICR MS" Anal. Chem., (2023), 17203-17211, 95(47) doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01816
     
  • Vandergrift, G., ... Kew, W., "Experimental Assessment of Mammalian Lipidome Complexity Using Multimodal 21 T FTICR Mass Spectrometry Imaging" Anal. Chem., (2023), 10921-10929, 95(29) doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00518
     
  • Zhang, K., ... Kew, W., et al., "Ectomycorrhizal fungi enhance pine growth by stimulating iron‐dependent mechanisms with trade‐offs in symbiotic performance" New Phytologist, (2023), 1645-1660, 242(4) doi:10.1111/nph.19449
     
  • Ijaz, A., Kew, W., et al., "Molecular and physical composition of tar balls in wildfire smoke: an investigation with complementary ionisation methods and 15-Tesla FT-ICR mass spectrometry" Env. Sci.: Atmos., (2023), 1552-1562, 3(10) doi:10.1039/D3EA00085K
     
  • Vandergrift, G., ... Kew, W., et al., "Case study evaluation of size-resolved molecular composition and phase state of carbonaceous particles in wildfire influenced smoke from the Pacific Northwest" Env. Sci.: Atmos., (2023), 1251-1261, 3(9) doi:10.1039/D3EA00058C
     
  • Qafoku, O., ... Kew, W., et al., "Chemical composition, coordination, and stability of Ca–organic associations in the presence of dissolving calcite" Env. Sci.: Nano, (2023), 1504-1517, 10(5) doi:10.1039/D2EN01143C
     
  • Pires, A.P.P., ..., Kew, W., et al., "Comparison of the Chemical Composition of Liquids from the Pyrolysis and Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Lignocellulosic Materials" Energy & Fuels., (2023), 7221-7236, 37(10) doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c03239
     
  • Taylor, M., Kim, H., Kew, W., et al., "Atomistic simulations for investigation of substrate effects on lipid in-source fragmentation in secondary ion mass spectrometry" Biointerphases, (2023), 18, 011003 doi:10.1116/6.0002298
     
  • Zemaitis, K., Zhou, M., Kew, W., Paša-Tolić, L., "193 nm Ultraviolet Photodissociation for the Characterization of Singly Charged Proteoforms Generated by MALDI" J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., (2023), 328-332, 34(2) doi:10.1021/jasms.2c00302

2022

  • Ijaz, A., Kew, W., et al., "Molecular Characterization of Organophosphorus Compounds in Wildfire Smoke Using 21-T Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry" Anal. Chem., (2022), 14537-14545, 94(42) doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00916
     
  • Zhou, M., ... Kew, W., et al., "Discovery top-down proteomics in symbiotic soybean root nodules" Front. Anal. Sci., (2022), 2 doi:10.3389/frans.2022.1012707
     
  • Zemaitis, K., Veličković, D., Kew, W., et al., "Enhanced Spatial Mapping of Histone Proteo-forms in Human Kidney Through MALDI-MSI by High-Field UHMR-Orbitrap Detection" Anal. Chem., (2022), 12604-12613, 94(37) doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01034
     
  • Qafoku, O., Andersen, A., Kew, W., et al., "Selective Interactions of Soil Organic Matter Compounds with Calcite and the Role of Aqueous Ca" ACS Earth Space Chem, (2022), 1674-1687, 6(7) doi:10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00016
     
  • Vandergrift, G., Kew, W., et al., "Imaging and Direct Sampling Capabilities of Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization with Absorption-Mode 21 Tesla Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry" Anal. Chem., (2022), 3629-3636, 94(8) doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05216

2021

  • Kitson, E., Kew, W., Ding, W., Bell, NGA., "PyKrev: a python library for the analysis of complex mixture FT-MS data" J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., (2021), 1263-1267, 32(5) doi:10.1021/jasms.1c00064

2020

  • Bica, R., Palarea-Albaladejo, J., Kew, W., et al., "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Detect Rumen Metabolites Associated with Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle" Sci. Rep., (2020), 5578, 10(1) doi:10.1038/s41598-020-62485-y
     
  • Hawkes, J., D'Andrilli, J., ... Kew, W., et al., "An international laboratory comparison of dissolved organic matter composition by high resolution mass spectrometry: Are we getting the same answer?" Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods, (2020), 235-258, 18(6) doi:10.1002/lom3.10364

2019

  • Kew, W., Goodall, I., Uhrín, D., "Analysis of Scotch Whisky by 1H NMR and chemometrics yields insight into its complex chemistry" Food Chem., (2019), 298:125052 doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125052
     
  • Echavarri-Bravo, V., ... Kew, W., et al., "High resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) for the characterisation of enzymatic processing of commercial lignin" New Biotechnology, (2019), 52:1-8 doi:10.1016/j.nbt.2019.03.001
     
  • Seery, M. K., Jones, A. B., Kew, W., Mein, T., "Unfinished Recipes: Structuring Upper- Division Laboratory Work To Scaffold Experimental Design Skills" J. Chem. Educ., (2019), 96(1): 53-59 doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00511

2018

  • Kew, W., Mackay, C. L., Goodall, I., Clarke, D. J., Uhrín, D., "Complementary Ionization Techniques for the Analysis of Scotch Whisky by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry" Anal. Chem., (2018), 90(19):11265-11272 doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01446
     
  • Kew, W., Blackburn, J. W. T., Uhrín, D., "Response to Comment on ‘Laser Desorption/Ionization Coupled to FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry for Studies of Natural Organic Matter'"Anal. Chem., (2018), 90(9):5968-5971 doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.8b00332

2017

  • Kew, W., Bell, N.G.A., Goodall, I., Uhrín, D., "Advanced solvent signal suppression for the acquisition of 1D and 2D NMR spectra of Scotch Whisky" Magn Reson Chem., (2017) 55:785-796 doi:10.1002/mrc.4621 — Featured Article and Cover Page
     
  • Blackburn, J. W. T., Kew, W., Graham, M. C., Uhrín, D., "Laser Desorption/ Ionization Coupled to FTICR Mass Spectrometry for Studies of Natural Organic Matter" Anal. Chem., (2017) 89(8):4382-4386. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04817
     
  • Kew, W., Blackburn, J. W. T., Clarke, D., Uhrín, D., "Interactive van Krevelen diagrams – Advanced visualisation of mass spectrometry data of complex mixtures" Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., (2017) 31:658-662. doi:10.1002/rcm.7823
     
  • Kew, W., Goodall, I., Clarke, D., Uhrín, D., "Chemical Diversity and Complexity of Scotch Whisky as Revealed by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry" J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., (2017) 28:200-213. doi:10.1007/s13361-016-1513-y

2015

  • Kew, W., Mitchell, J. B. O, "Greedy and Linear Ensembles of Machine Learning Methods Outperform Single Approaches for QSPR Regression Problems" Mol. Inf., (2015) 34:634-647. doi:10.1002/minf.201400122