John Bowden, Ph.D.

Dr. Bowden is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida and holds a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Chemistry and the College of Veterinary Medicine. He will serve as the 2022 Willoughby Expedition Chief Chemist, analyzing the water samples collected on the expedition for the presence and types of PFAS substances.

Dr. Bowden’s research is focused on employing novel mass spectrometric methods at the chem/bio interface, with an expanding interest in environmental chemistry, endocrine disruption, analytical toxicology, and exposure science. Specifically, there is increasing interest in his laboratory focused on examining the effects of our environment on reproduction, early-life exposure, the microbiome, and overall health status.

He employs liquid and gas chromatography coupled to targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometric platforms. Mass spectrometric measurement in the laboratory is dedicated to the detection of both anthropogenic pollutants (e.g., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and biomarkers of exposure (e.g., lipidomics and metabolomics). The laboratory is also interested in method development and various aspects of omics metrology. Application areas are varied, encompassing environmental sampling, nutritional studies, lab-based models, wildlife, and human health.