In this issue of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, we are delighted to highlight the work of 19 early career researchers. Their articles comprise the 2024 ASMS “Emerging Investigators” Special Issue and represent a truly global issue with contributors from across the USA, Europe and Australia. The investigators come from a variety of disciplines, working in academia, industry and national laboratories. Furthermore, their articles have a wide range of topics, covering both experimental and computational mass spectrometry science, software and hardware developments, and applications in structural biology, inorganic chemistry, spatial biology, microbiology and proteomics, both bottom-up and top-down.
The goal of the annual Emerging Investigators Special Issue is to showcase some of the exciting independent work being performed by early career researchers. These individuals have demonstrated their potential to make important contributions to their respective areas of research and become future leaders within the field. Authors were invited to contribute articles for peer review based on recommendations from the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, members of the Editorial Board of JASMS, members of the ASMS Board of Directors, and other prominent mass spectrometrists. Brief biographical sketches for the emerging investigators are also included in this issue to highlight their diverse backgrounds and illustrate what has influenced their current and future research interests. We would like to thank each of the investigators for their contributions and look forward to following their career progression in the decades to come.