Prof. Dr. Alina Diana Zamfir | Mass Spectrometry | Excellence in Research Award

National Institute for R&D in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter | Romania

Professor Alina Diana Zamfir is a distinguished Romanian scientist internationally recognized for her pioneering contributions to analytical glycoscience, microfluidics–mass spectrometry (MS), and ion mobility–mass spectrometry (IM–MS). She earned her Ph.D. in Physics from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca and subsequently completed a Habilitation with Venia Legendi in Biophysics at the University of Münster, Germany, followed by a Habilitation in Physics at the West University of Timisoara. Currently, she serves as Professor at Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad and Senior Scientific Researcher at the National Institute for Research and Development in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Timisoara, Romania. With over three decades of academic and research excellence, Professor Zamfir has established herself as a leader in clinical glycomics, biomolecular mass spectrometry, and micro/nanofluidic analytical technologies. She has led 17 national and international research projects, including EU FP7 and UEFISCDI-funded programs, focusing on developing integrated MS-based analytical platforms for the structural and functional elucidation of complex biomolecules such as glycans, glycolipids, and proteoglycans. Her research has significantly advanced the understanding of molecular interactions and biomarker discovery in neurological disorders and lysosomal storage diseases. Professor Zamfir has published extensively, authoring over 150 scientific papers and book chapters. She is President of the Romanian Society for Mass Spectrometry, a member of the American and German Societies for Mass Spectrometry, and a Ph.D. supervisor at the West University of Timisoara. Her exceptional achievements have been recognized through numerous awards, including the I.G. Murgulescu Prize of the Romanian Academy (2011), Elsevier Top Cited Article Award (2007), and Wiley Award (2021). Professor Zamfir’s visionary research continues to bridge materials chemistry, bioanalysis, and clinical science, shaping the future of molecular diagnostics and precision medicine.

Profiles : Scopus | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

• Ica, R., Sarbu, M., Biricioiu, R., Fabris, D., Vukelić, Ž., & Zamfir, A. D. (2025). Novel application of ion mobility mass spectrometry reveals complex ganglioside landscape in diffuse astrocytoma peritumoral regions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(17), 8433.

• Biricioiu, M. R., Sarbu, M., Ica, R., Vukelić, Ž., Clemmer, D. E., & Zamfir, A. D. (2025). Advanced profiling and structural analysis of anencephaly gangliosides by ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry. Biochimie, 232, 91–104.

• Sarbu, M., Seidler, D. G., Clemmer, D. E., & Zamfir, A. D. (2024). Introducing ion mobility mass spectrometry in brain glycosaminoglycomics: Application to chondroitin/dermatan sulfate octasaccharide domains. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 35(9), 2102–2117.

• Biricioiu, M. R., Sarbu, M., Ica, R., Vukelić, Z., Clemmer, D. E., & Zamfir, A. D. (2024). Human cerebellum gangliosides: A comprehensive analysis by ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 35(4), 683–695.

• Sarbu, M., Ica, R., Sharon, E., Clemmer, D. E., & Zamfir, A. D. (2023). Glycomics by ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry of chondroitin sulfate disaccharide domain in biglycan. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 58(3), e4908.