Keith MacRenaris

Dr. MacRenaris is a research associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the Director of the newly established Quantitative Bio Element Analysis and Mapping (QBEAM) Facility. QBEAM was founded by Professor Thomas V. O’Halloran at MSU in January of 2021 as an interdisciplinary center within the Elemental Health Institute (EHI) focused on examining elemental quotas in biology from single cells to whole organisms. This interplay between metals and systems biology can be harnessed to develop therapeutics, elucidate the mechanisms of disease, and further our understanding of the ecological and environmental consequences of metal exposure.

He received his B.S. in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of Rochester working on the developmental role acetylcholine receptors play in early maternal axis development in the purple sea urchin. He received his PhD in Biological Sciences from Northwestern University in 2009 under the mentorship of Professor Thomas Meade studying metal-based imaging probes for non-invasive imaging of cancer progression with a particular focus on gadolinium-based contrast agents and gold nanoparticle delivery systems.

As a postdoctoral fellow, research associate, and research assistant professor in molecular biosciences at Northwestern University, Dr. MacRenaris, under the directorship of Prof. Tom O’Halloran, ran the Quantitative Bio-element Imaging Center (QBIC) which is a nationally recognized center for trace element analysis and imaging. His ongoing mission with Prof. O’Halloran at MSU is to establish QBEAM as an internationally recognized and renowned center for elemental analysis and mapping while providing state-of-the-art instrumentation and expert services to the MSU community and beyond.