Rate My Professor Christie Enke

Christie G. Enke is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the University of New Mexico, where he held a faculty position from 1994 until his retirement in 2006. Prior to joining UNM, he served at Michigan State University from 1966 to 1994, progressing from associate professor to full professor in 1972 and later distinguished professor. Earlier in his career, from 1959 to 1966, he was an instructor and assistant professor at Princeton University. Enke received his B.S. in Chemistry from Principia College in 1955, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1959. His research interests include full 3D spectrum mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry instrumentation, and fundamental considerations in electrospray ionization.

Enke has made seminal contributions to analytical chemistry, particularly in mass spectrometry. In the late 1970s, he co-invented the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer through the discovery of low-energy collision-induced dissociation for tandem mass spectrometry, enabling efficient structural elucidation and direct mixture analysis. He also developed distance-of-flight mass spectrometry and predictive models for matrix and analyte effects in electrospray ionization. Enke co-authored influential textbooks, including Electronics for Scientists (1962, with Howard Malmstadt) and The Art and Science of Chemical Analysis (2001), which advanced electronics education for chemists. Key publications encompass Practical implications of some recent studies in electrospray ionization fundamentals (2001, Mass Spectrometry Reviews), Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for direct mixture analysis and structure elucidation (1979, Analytical Chemistry), and A predictive model for matrix and analyte effects in electrospray ionization of singly-charged ionic analytes (1997, Analytical Chemistry). His work has garnered over 7,800 citations on ResearchGate. Major honors include the American Chemical Society Award in Analytical Chemistry (2011), ACS Award in Chemical Instrumentation (1974), ACS Award for Computers in Chemistry (1989), J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education (2003), and Fellow of the ACS (2011). Post-retirement, Enke remains active in research collaborations on mass spectrometry innovations.