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Alan Marshall, a distinguished chemist who contributed to the creation of a method that transformed analytical chemistry and subsequently directed the world’s foremost institution for such studies at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has passed away at the age of 81.
Marshall concluded his tenure in 2024 as Robert O. Lawton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University and as Chief Scientist at the MagLab’s Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facility, or FT-ICR, which he established in 1993 and led until 2014.
“We’ve lost a titan,” remarked MagLab Director Kathleen Amm. “I am deeply thankful for Dr. Marshall’s scientific advancements and anticipate witnessing his remarkable legacy persist in the forthcoming decades within the FT-ICR faculty, its users, and its innovative research.”
In 1974, Marshall and a colleague created Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance, which enabled the analysis of intricate chemical mixtures, such as petroleum, like never before, identifying and isolating molecules that other techniques could not reveal.
The first commercial FT-ICR apparatus was introduced in the late 1970s. Currently, over 850 FT-ICR mass spectrometers are utilized in various sectors, including academia, oil corporations, the pharmaceutical sector, and more.
Marshall, who received his chemistry degree from Northwestern and his Ph.D. from Stanford, taught and conducted research at the University of British Columbia and Ohio State University before joining Florida State University in 1993.
The MagLab’s FT-ICR Facility continues to break records for magnetic field strength, mass precision, and resolution. Areas of study include petroleum, biofuels, microplastics, persistent chemicals, predatory bacteria, and ocean carbon cycles. Since its inception, the FT-ICR Facility has welcomed over 3,300 researchers globally, leading to more than 720 peer-reviewed publications.
“He was a valued mentor to numerous students and postdocs throughout his 55-year career,” stated Chris Hendrickson, Kristina Hakansson, and Ryan Rodgers in a collective remark. The three leaders of the MagLab’s FT-ICR program were all guided by Marshall. “His legacy continues through the science conducted daily by his scientific descendants,” they noted.
Marshall was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, received numerous accolades and recognitions, and was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. He garnered tens of millions in research funding for the MagLab and Florida State University. His research has been cited an astonishing 60,000 times.
He was recognized for his fervor for research and passion for his work, famously arriving at the office seven days a week throughout his career.
“The two primary principles that have directed me,” Marshall stated in 2023 while commemorating the 50th anniversary of FT-ICR, “Are to have extensive scientific interests, as you never know where the next idea may arise. And collaboration — I expect all students and postdocs to engage with external users, as I believe it broadens their perspectives. Perhaps they form a friendship, perhaps that individual writes a reference, perhaps they recruit them.”
He viewed the friendships he forged and the individuals he mentored as his greatest inheritance.
“The students bring immense joy. Observing their progress has been a genuine pleasure,” Marshall remarked, noting that five students even named their sons in his honor.
“It’s enjoyable to witness their achievements,” he said, “It’s like family.”
Marshall is survived by two children and four grandchildren. His spouse of 54 years, Marilyn J. Marshall, passed away in 2021.
The post Remembering the MagLab’s Alan Marshall, pioneer in analytical chemistry appeared first on Florida State University News.
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