Ahmed Hamid, PhD

Ahmed Hamid, PhD

  • Associate Professor
  • Chemistry and Biochemistry
    • (334) 844-7126
    amh0218@auburn.edu
    268 Chemistry Building
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    The Hamid Research Group

    Ahmed Hamid is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Auburn University. He received his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012 under the supervision of Prof. Samy El-Shall, working on gas-phase ion chemistry. He did postdoctoral research with Prof. Graham Cooks at Purdue University from 2012-2014 and at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with Dr. Richard D. Smith from 2014-2017. Then, he became a Senior Scientist at MOBILion Systems, Inc. from 2017 to 2019 before joining Auburn University as an Assistant Professor in August 2019. His research is focused on the development of novel mass spectrometry instruments, in particular those utilizing ion mobility separations for several applications in clinical and environmental research areas. He was awarded the R&D 100 award in 2017, the Maximizing Investigators' Research Award in 2022, and was featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry as one of the Emerging Investigators in 2024.

    Education

    • Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry Virginia Commonwealth University 2012

    • Bachelor of Science Faculty of Science/Alexandria University 2004

    Professional Experience

    Auburn University, Auburn, AL 2019–Present
    • Tenured Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry 08/2025–Present
    • Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry 08/2019–07/2025
    MOBILion Systems, Inc., Exton, PA 2017–2019
    • Senior Scientist 04/2017–04/2019
    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 2014–2017
    • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Biological Sciences Division, Dr. Richard D. Smith 09/2014–06/2017
    Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 2012–2014
    • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemistry Department, Prof. R. Graham Cooks 08/2012–08/2014
    Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 2007–2012
    • Research Assistant, Prof. M. Samy El-Shall 06/2009–05/2012
    • Teaching Assistant 08/2007–05/2009

    Innovation

    My research group develops novel mass spectrometry instruments and methods, particularly those that use ion mobility separations. We apply these tools to clinical and environmental research, with a focus on fast, inexpensive and direct analysis of complex samples. We are also interested in developing portable ion mobility spectrometry-based instruments that can be used outside of traditional laboratory settings.

    A major goal of my research group is to support students’ intellectual and technical development. I encourage students to ask questions, think independently and build the skills that will support their long-term success. My mentoring philosophy is to adapt to students’ diverse backgrounds, mindsets and career goals.

    In clinical applications, our research focuses on supporting the rapid diagnosis of common diseases, including infectious diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. For infectious diseases, accurate and fast identification of pathogens can help reduce antibiotic resistance and improve recovery rates. We are also developing early-diagnosis instrumentation platforms and workflows that could support routine diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease from blood, offering a less invasive and faster alternative to cerebrospinal fluid-based testing.

    We are also interested in the structural characterization of potential biomarkers associated with diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and infectious diseases. These biomarkers include lipids, peptides and proteins. Our group investigates their structures using experimental and computational tools. We have also begun implementing ambient ionization methods, which reduce sample preparation requirements and eliminate the need for specialized expertise in sampling and ionization.

    Our environmental research focuses on the detection and identification of contaminants, including microorganisms and pesticides. Our goal is to detect these contaminants in their native environments, such as pesticides in crops and microorganisms in drinking and recreational water. This work can help improve environmental monitoring and reduce rates of unintentional poisoning.

    In the long term, we aim to develop a portable ion mobility analytical device that enables diagnosis of infectious diseases and detection of environmental contaminants by non-expert users, such as nurses and farmers. We have designed and built our first version of an ion mobility-based instrument, and the sensitivity and resolution of the initial results are promising.