PNNL Lab Fellow Recognized for Contributions to Mass Spectrometry

Ljiljana Paša-Tolić, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Fellow, is the 2024 recipient of the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation’s Jochen Franzen Award. 

The Jochen Franzen Award recognizes outstanding contributions to innovations in structural, spatial, and/or separation analysis with mass spectrometry. Paša-Tolić is the second recipient to ever receive the award, which was initiated in 2022. 

“I am so incredibly honored and grateful to be the recipient of this award,” said Paša-Tolić. ”But of course, the credit goes to all of the amazing colleagues and friends that I have been privileged and honored to work alongside.” 

The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) nominated Paša-Tolić for the award, highlighting her pioneering contributions to high-performance mass spectrometry, single-cell proteomics, and multi-omics. 

“Ljiljana’s research career is an exemplary example of someone who has made significant contributions to many aspects of high-performance mass spectrometry both as an individual and as part of a scientific team at PNNL,” wrote ASMS President Joseph Loo. “In many ways, her career mirrors Jochen Franzen’s tremendous accomplishments and efforts with the team at Bruker. Ljiljana’s work spans across a wide array of mass spectrometry-related science, including instrumentation, separations, qualitative and quantitative ‘omics, informatics, imaging, and single-cell measurements.” 

Paša-Tolić is internationally renowned for her expertise and leadership in high-throughput proteomics and top-down and native mass spectrometry for biological and environmental applications, including the development of transformative instrumentation and methods. She serves as the lead scientist for visual proteomics in PNNL’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Division and for the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research Program user facility on the PNNL campus. 

Among her significant contributions to PNNL and EMSL is her leadership in the design, construction, and deployment of a continuous line of consistently higher mass-resolution mass spectrometers. This includes the 21T Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance spectrometer, which is one of only two in the world. 

She is a founding organizer of the Consortium for Top-Down Proteomics (CTDP), a nonprofit corporation focused on accelerating “the comprehensive analysis of intact proteins and their complexes.” Paša-Tolić is also serving on the CTDP Board. In July 2021, she was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) and is currently serving on the WSAS Board. 

She has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications; presented at more than 150 seminars, conferences, and workshops; and served on numerous editorial and advisory committees.

Paša-Tolić will receive the award at the 25th International Mass Spectrometry Conference (Aug. 17–23) in Melbourne, Australia. She will speak about her career in high-resolution mass spectrometry on Aug. 21 during an invited talk at the conference.