Stephen Blanksby completed his PhD (1999, U. Adelaide) in the field of gas phase ion chemistry before undertaking postdoctoral research in Europe (1999, TU Berlin) and the USA (2000-2002, U. Colorado). He held a faculty position in the School of Chemistry at U. Wollongong (Wollongong, Australia, 2002-2013) before relocating to the Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia 2014-present) where he is currently Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research Infrastructure). Stephen’s research is focussed on putting the fun back into fundamental gas phase ion chemistry and developing new applications in analytical mass spectrometry with a focus on lipidomics. He is an enthusiastic advocate for mass spectrometry within the international community serving as associate editor of the International Journal of Mass Spectrometry and secretary of the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation.