Bruce McCord, Ph.D. ‘86 has fond memories of his time at the University of Wisconsin. He remembers the morning sailing excursions with students through Hoofers, the cinnamon buns from Ovens of Brittany, and playing hockey with brooms and bicycle helmets instead of traditional equipment. However, he seems most grateful for his advisor, James Taylor, the students he met through his research, and the opportunities his chemistry degree afforded him in his career. “My degree at UW ultimately led to a dream position as a researcher at the FBI laboratory,” Bruce shared. “Chemistry is such a flexible degree.”
After graduating with a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry in 1986, Bruce married Margie Phipps, also a UW graduate, ’86, M.S. in materials science, and began working as an industrial analytical chemist, first at CIBA-Geigy and then at Syntex Pharmaceuticals in the Bahamas. However, he said he missed the research he conducted during his graduate studies, and when he saw a government researcher position open up at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory in the Forensic Science Research and Training Center, he applied. Although he knew little about forensic science, he said the agency was interested in his analytical chemistry background and his experience in analyzing fluorescent compounds and chromatographic science, and he landed the position.
My degree at UW ultimately led to a dream position as a researcher at the FBI laboratory. – Bruce McCord ’86
Bruce began his role at the FBI in 1989. There, he developed methods for the detection of postblast explosives using ion chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and supercritical fluid chromatography. Bruce assisted the FBI following the World Trade Center bombing by helping to set up a lab in New York City, and this work was later expanded into methods for detecting dangerous drugs, inks, dyes, and DNA. Also at the FBI, he became interested in work involving PCR and its capability to improve the sensitivity of DNA typing. While he was working in industry, Bruce was exposed to automation and felt that DNA work could also be automated. “In my explosives work, I developed a methodology using capillary electrophoresis to detect ions from post-blast explosives such as nitrate in black powder and perchlorate in improvised explosives,” Bruce explained. “I thought that this same method would be ideal for automating DNA detection.” After several years of work, his idea ultimately led to the development of an automated system for DNA detection that is used in laboratories all over the world.
Another area of research at the FBI was solving the problem of drug-facilitated sexual assault. Often, by the time the victim reports the crime, the levels of drugs in their system become very low and difficult to detect. “We developed ways to use fluorescent derivatization, microfluidics, and electrochemical detection for screening trace levels of these drugs,” Bruce explained. “This became even more important with the onset of the opioid crisis and the development of novel psychoactive substances, including analogs of dangerous drugs such as cannabinoids, phenethyl amines, and opioids.”
After his time at the FBI, Bruce took an associate professor position in chemistry at Ohio University. In 2004, he moved to Florida International University in Miami, Florida, where he is now a professor of analytical/forensic chemistry. He is currently working on the development of rapid and portable methods for the detection of the components of counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl analogs. They are developing nanocolloids and nanostructured surfaces for use with portable UV and visible lasers to develop rapid AI-based discrimination of mixtures. A second project involves the application of deep shotgun sequencing to detect and identify DNA from microbial bacteria transfer following sexual assault. Here, the McCord Group is trying to develop a DNA-based method to detect sexual contact between males and females when insufficient human DNA is transferred. They are working on methods to assist law enforcement in the detection of this “sexual assault microbiome” to identify criminal suspects.
“I have always been intrigued by the fact that we use novel technology to solve problems with immediate societal impact,” said Bruce. “Seeing our research ultimately transition into practice is a tremendous validation of all the hard work.”