Mary Kate Donais earned her BS (Bucknell University) and PhD (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) in chemistry. Following positions in government and industry, she joined the faculty at Saint Anselm College where she is currently a professor in the chemistry department. Dr Donais' research focus is on applications of atomic spectroscopy and portable instrumentation, especially in the field of archaeology. She is actively involved with the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) and FACSS, and is a member of the Society for Archaeological Sciences. Dr Donais is a fellow of the SAS and the Royal Society of Chemistry.