The continuous spread of COVID-19 throughout the U.S. has forced the University of Connecticut, COR²E, and the UConn Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility to make specific changes to our normal routine in order to minimize the threat of community transmission in Connecticut.  UConn’s current policy (as of Friday, March 13, 2020) is that research can continue, but that all faculty and staff who are able to work from home should do so until at least April 6, 2020.  During this 3 week period, UConn PMF will strive to remain as productive as possible.  This includes continuing sample preparation and analysis at a reasonable pace, assuming faculty and staff remain healthy.  However, we will keep limited hours in lab in order to reduce the risk of contracting and/or spreading COVID-19 to other scientists.

 

COR²E has established additional policies during this time that UConn PMF and all other core facilities will follow.  These include:

1. There will be no new training sessions for instrumentation until at least Monday, April 6, 2020. If the UConn administration decides to close the University entirely or maintain limited operational status after April 6, this policy may be extended.
2. Users who have previously been trained on user-operated instrumentation may schedule reservations by emailing the Facility Director Jeremy Balsbaugh (jeremy.balsbaugh@uconn.edu). Availability is subject to Facility Director presence on campus and will therefore be limited.
3. New samples should not be dropped off in-person in BPB Room G05 or shipped via FedEx/UPS/UConn Courier Service without prior consent by the Facility Director in the event they cannot be properly received at or delivered to the loading dock. All sample transfers will be done by appointment only; email Jeremy Balsbaugh to schedule an appointment.
4. Biology/Physics Building Room G05 will be locked at all hours until April 6, 2020.  Only users with card access will be able to enter for non-PMF instrument usage if needed.
5. The Facility Director will remain accessible via email for questions about future sample analysis, experimental design consultations, and inquiries regarding previous results.
6. UConn PMF anticipates continuing sample analysis for the immediate future but to a limited degree, so please allow extra time for sample turnaround. For obvious reasons, this is subject to change.  Requests for results consultations and experimental planning meetings may be converted to virtual meetings via WebEx or phone.

 

Updates to the UConn PMF operational status can be found on this page and/or posted to the facility Twitter account (@uconnproteomics).  For any questions or concerns, please email Jeremy.Balsbaugh@uconn.edu.

 

Stay healthy and thank you for your patience!

The University of Connecticut Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility (UConn PMF) is hiring an Facilities Scientist II to assist the Facility Director with quantitative proteomics and metabolomics analysis using advanced mass spectrometry instrumentation and leading bioinformatics software.  The PMF opened in 2017 as the University of Connecticut’s first proteomics-focused and full service core facility.  The laboratory exists to provide fully customized analysis to more than 70 faculty across multiple UConn campuses and at other regional academic and industry research institutions.  The position will be a full-time appointment and will provide a unique opportunity to work in a rapidly growing and highly productive core facility at a large research university currently ranked in the top 25 of all public universities in the U.S.  The diverse research community at UConn participates in both basic science and clinical research that provides opportunities for a wide variety of innovative proteomics and metabolomics analysis.

 

For more information and to apply, click here!

The Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility will be completely closed for the holidays from Wednesday, Dec 25 through Wednesday, Jan 1.   Happy holidays and happy new year to all!

For the first time since PMF opened in 2017, we’ve adjusted our facility rates to better reflect the true costs associated with proteomics and metabolomics analysis.  These new rates will go into effect on July 1, 2019 and you can see them here.  Some analysis rates have increased while others decreased.  Overall, we don’t anticipate major changes in final costs for the vast majority of users.  However, reagent and service costs have increased since 2017 and therefore, we needed to adjust our rates accordingly.  Please contact jeremy.balsbaugh@uconn.edu with any specific questions or concerns!

We may be a month late, but UConn PMF was featured in a recent UConn Today article.  For more information about us and our research goals, check it out here!

UConn PMF will be temporarily closed from Friday, Mar 1 through Sunday, Mar 10th for conference travel and attendance. Please plan your experiments accordingly!

UConn PMF will be highlighted at the First Annual UConn Center for Open Research Resources (COR2E) Symposium in Pharm/Bio room 131 on Nov 19th. The event runs from 8.30am through 5pm. Be sure to come out and hear about some fantastic core facilities and the work being done using the cores within COR2E! The UConn PMF section will be held from 9-10am. Hope to see you there! For more information, see the full schedule here: COR²E_Symposium_Schedule_Handout

The UConn Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility is currently searching for a undergraduate level Research Technician (RT). The RT will be responsible for aiding the Facility Director in maintaining and operating sophisticated facility instrumentation and will be responsible for sample preparation, limited data processing and analysis. The position is for ~30-35 hours per week during the summer months and up to 20 hr/week during the academic year. The position will begin at the conclusion of the Spring 2018 semester and continue for at least one year after the initial appointment, conditional on the successful contributions of the RT to the facility. For more information, check out the original job posting here!

The Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility will be closed for the holidays from Thursday, Dec 21 through Monday, Jan 1. All facility-related business will resume on Tuesday, Jan 2. Happy holidays and happy new year to all!

Come and hear about the new UConn Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility at an introductory seminar TODAY (Thurs Nov 9) from 3.30-4.30pm in PBB 131. Come by to learn more about UConn’s state-of-the-art biological mass spectrometry and how it can help advance your research!