Richard A. Yost
University Professor Emeritus
Research Focus
Rick’s research has focused on analytical mass spectrometry and metabolomics, with a unique balance between instrumentation development, fundamental studies, and applications in areas such as clinical, biomedical, pharmaceutical, environmental, petrochemical, and forensic chemistry. He has supervised the research of 120 graduate students, graduating over 100 PhDs from his group. He has served as PI or Co-PI on grants totaling over $70M of funding. Research in the group has led to over 250 publications and 25 patents. Now that he is emeritus, he collaborates with other research groups and helps mentor graduate students.
Education and Training
1975–1979: Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry, Michigan State University (lab of Chris Enke)
1971–1974: B.S. Chemistry, University of Arizona
Selected Awards
Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida Fellow (2025)
German Society for Mass Spectrometry Wolfgang Paul Lecture Award (2025)
IMSF JJ Thomson Medal for Outstanding Achievements in and Distinguished Service to International Mass Spectrometry (2024)
National Academy of Inventors Fellow (2021)
ASMS John Fenn Award for Distinguished Contribution to Mass Spectrometry (1993)
Selected Activities
Director, NIH National Metabolomics Consortium, 2018–2023
President, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 2018–2020
Director, NIH Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics, 2013–2023
Florida Board of Governors/Regents, 2010–2012
UF Board of Trustees, 2007–2008
Selected Publications
J. Lei, R. Mahar, M.C. Chang, J. Collins, M.E. Merritt, T.J. Garrett, R.A. Yost, “Segmented Flow Strategies for Integrating LC-MS with NMR for Lipidomics”, Anal. Chem., 2023, 95, 1908–1915. Https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03974
Yost, R.A. “Why Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Trace Analysis: Concepts of Tandem Analytical Techniques”, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2022, 36, e9310–9319. doi:10.1002/rcm.9310
Yost, R.A. “The Triple Quadrupole: Innovation, Serendipity and Persistence”, Journal for Mass Spectrometry and Advances in the Clinical Laboratory 2022, 24, 90–99. doi:10.1016/j.jmsacl.2022.05.001