Roman Zubarev

Roman A. Zubarev (born 1963) is a Russian-Swedish chemist and professor of medical proteomics in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. His research spans mass spectrometry, proteomics, origin-of-life chemistry, disease biomarker discovery, and related fields.

Education and career Zubarev earned a Master of Science in Applied Physics at Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in 1986. He obtained a PhD in ion physics from Uppsala University in 1997, supervised by Bo Sundqvist.

After his doctorate, he worked at Cornell University, where in 1997 he co-discovered electron-capture dissociation (ECD) of polypeptides with Fred McLafferty. He later held posts at the University of Southern Denmark and Uppsala University, before becoming professor of medicinal proteomics at Karolinska Institutet. Isotopic resonance hypothesis — Proposes that specific isotopic compositions can accelerate biochemical reactions. Experimental studies on Escherichia coli growth have supported aspects of the hypothesis. Proteomics and biomarkers — Discovery of proteomic signatures in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, along with developments in immunoproteomics and molecular biometry. Origin of life experiments — Research showing that abiotically synthesized mixtures, such as those produced in Miller–Urey type experiments, can sustain bacterial growth.

Awards Zubarev has received several international awards: Curt Brunnée Award (2006) Biemann Medal, American Society for Mass Spectrometry (2007) Gold Medal, Russian Mass Spectrometry Society (2013) Berzelius Medal in Gold, Swedish Chemical Society (2024)

Selected publications