American Society for Mass Spectrometry

What American Society for Mass Spectrometry does

The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) is a US-based non-profit professional scientific society founded in 1952 and headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico. ASMS serves the global mass spectrometry research community, with 10,609 publishing members identified in its 2025 Bibliometric Project and approximately 6,300-7,000 attendees at its flagship Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics. Its membership spans academic researchers, industry professionals, government scientists, and students/early-career researchers, with member tiers priced at $80 (regular), $50 (student), and $0 (emeritus) annually.

ASMS's core products and technology stack center on the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (JASMS), published monthly via ACS Publications since 2020, and a portfolio of four annual conferences: the flagship Annual Conference plus the smaller Asilomar, Fall Workshop, and Winter Conference events. Supporting platforms include the Online Planner and mobile app (with AI-generated session-summary podcasts introduced in 2026), the ASMS Bibliometric Project (a co-authorship network visualization built on OpenAlex and ORCID), a Conference Proceedings and Abstracts Archive dating to 1962, short courses, the Career Center, the public Video Library, and the Classic Books series. Member-only content extends to Elsevier IJMS archives via ScienceDirect and select Wiley journal archives under partnership deals.

The society's revenue model combines low-friction recurring membership dues, one-time conference and short-course registration (with member/non-member price discrimination that incentivizes membership), corporate sponsorships and exhibitor fees from instrumentation vendors, and journal-related income through the ACS Publications partnership. Distribution is digital-direct via the members.asms.org portal and ACS Publications platform, augmented by in-person distribution at conferences. ASMS holds no external ownership, no funding rounds, and operates under member-elected board governance, with strategic direction oriented around community engagement, member services, and the long-running flagship conference.

Name

American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Legal name

American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Website

https://asms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) is a US non-profit scientific society, founded 1952 and headquartered in Santa Fe, serving approximately 10,600 mass spectrometry researchers worldwide through its journal (JASMS), four annual conferences, short courses, and a co-authorship bibliometric project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Professional Society

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Scientific professional society
• Peer-reviewed journal publishing
• Scientific conference management
• Continuing professional education
• Scientific community networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide recurring revenue. Regular members pay $80/year, students pay $50/year, and emeritus members receive complimentary membership. Membership includes journal access, discounted conference fees, and access to member-only content.
2. Annual Conference Registration: Revenue from conference registration fees. ASMS members pay $300-$350 (regular) or $115-$165 (students), while non-members pay $600-$650 (regular) or $230-$280 (students). Includes remote access options.
3. Short Course Fees: Pre-conference educational courses. Two-day courses cost $600-$650 (members) or $1,200-$1,250 (non-members). One-day courses are $450-$500 (members) or $900-$950 (non-members). Student rates are $120-$270 depending on course length.
4. Journal Publishing (JASMS): The Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry is published by ACS Publications (partnership since 2020). ASMS members receive free access as a benefit. ASMS members publishing open access receive a $500 APC discount.
5. Classic Books and Publications: Sale of classic mass spectrometry books (currently sold out) and the ASMS 50th Anniversary Volume 'Measuring Mass: From Positive Rays to Proteins' available through the member store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) is a non-profit professional scientific society that delivers membership services, peer-reviewed publishing, scientific conferences, and educational resources to the global mass spectrometry research community. Its core products include the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (JASMS), four annual conferences (the flagship Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics plus Asilomar, Fall Workshop, and Winter Conference), pre-conference short courses, and an extensive online proceedings and bibliometric archive.

Product overview

ASMS operates as a scientific professional society offering a portfolio of publications, conferences, and educational resources for the mass spectrometry community. The core offering is the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (JASMS), a peer-reviewed journal published by ACS Publications since 2020. ASMS organizes four major conferences annually: the flagship Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics (6,300-7,000 attendees), plus three smaller focused conferences (Asilomar, Fall Workshop, Winter Conference). Supporting products include the Conference Proceedings Archive (1997-present with PDFs back to 1962), ASMS Bibliometric Project for research network analysis, Online Planner and Mobile App with AI-generated session summaries, Video Library for educational content, Short Courses for professional development, Career Center for members, and the Classic Books Series for historical reference materials. The society also offers membership benefits including access to Elsevier-IJMS and Wiley journal archives through partnerships with those publishers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (JASMS): The official peer-reviewed journal of ASMS, published monthly, covering all aspects of mass spectrometry including fundamentals, instrumentation, and applications.

Products and services

• Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (JASMS) A monthly peer-reviewed journal covering mass spectrometry fundamentals (instrumentation, gas-phase ions, ion spectroscopy) and applications (proteomics, metabolomics, structural elucidation, environmental and forensic measurements). Published online-only by ACS Publications since January 1, 2020, with ASMS members receiving free access and a $500 APC discount for open access publishing.
• Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics The flagship ASMS conference attracting 6,300-7,000 attendees annually with approximately 3,000 poster presentations and 384 talks selected from submitted abstracts. Held at rotating locations (San Diego in 2026). Registration fees: members $300-$350 regular / $115-$165 student; non-members $600-$650 regular / $230-$280 student.
• Asilomar Conference A small focused conference held at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA, on specific research topics. Features an informal setting for highly targeted scientific discussions among mass spectrometry researchers.
• Fall Workshop A tutorial education conference held annually in November on emerging mass spectrometry techniques and applications, conducted at varying locations.
• Winter Conference A focused conference held annually in January in Santa Fe, NM, featuring specialized session topics and speakers on advanced mass spectrometry applications.
• Short Courses Pre-conference educational courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels covering topics such as MALDI/DESI imaging, LC-MS/MS method development, machine learning for MS data analysis, and top-down proteomics. Two-day courses cost $600-$650 (members) or $1,200-$1,250 (non-members); one-day courses are $450-$500 (members) or $900-$950 (non-members).
• Online Short Courses Online version of ASMS short courses for remote professional development in mass spectrometry topics, offered as a complement to in-person pre-conference courses.
• Classic Books Series Reprints of essential out-of-print mass spectrometry texts, including the ASMS 50th Anniversary Volume 'Measuring Mass: From Positive Rays to Proteins,' sold through the ASMS member store as key reference resources for practitioners and newcomers to the field.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83,445 publications co-authored by 10,609 ASMS members (2025 Bibliometric update)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ACS Publications (American Chemical Society)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020JASMS transitioned to ACS Publications as publisher on January 1, 2020. ACS provides digital publishing platform, editorial expertise, and operational support. ASMS retains full editorial independence under its governance. ACS offers flexible open access publishing options, and ASMS members receive a $500 APC discount when publishing open access in JASMS.
• Elsevier (ScienceDirect)coreTechnology or IntegrationASMS members access International Journal of Mass Spectrometry (IJMS) archives via Elsevier's ScienceDirect portal. Members must activate a ScienceDirect account using their ASMS ID number to access volumes from 1968-present.
• WileysupportingTechnology or IntegrationASMS members access select Wiley journal archives through the prior year. There is a one-year embargo on current content. Members must be logged into asms.org to access Wiley archive links.
• PosterBridge (Poster Reprint Requests)supportingTechnology or IntegrationIn-app feature within the ASMS conference planner and mobile app that allows attendees to request more information from poster presenters. Presenters can export attendee contact lists for follow-up communications.
• OpenAlexsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOpen bibliographic data source used for the ASMS Bibliometric Project. Provides publication, author, and institution data. ASMS transitioned from previous data sources to OpenAlex for the 2025 bibliometric update.
• VOSviewer (Leiden University)supportingTechnology or IntegrationVisualization software used to create co-authorship networks and research topic maps for the ASMS Bibliometric Project. Developed by Nees Jan van Eck and Magnus Palmblad at Leiden University.
• ORCIDsupportingTechnology or IntegrationORCID identifiers collected from ASMS member profiles (1,423 members in 2025) are used to improve accuracy of the bibliometric network matching algorithm, linking ASMS members to their OpenAlex publication records.
• Corporate Members/ExhibitorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate members and exhibitors sponsor ASMS conferences and receive visibility through booth presence, hospitality suites, breakfast seminars, and corporate member listings. Includes Waters, Thermo Fisher, SCIEX, and other mass spectrometry companies. Corporate membership provides discounted exhibitor rates and recognition.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Chemical Society (ACS): The largest US scientific society and publisher of JASMS via ACS Publications. Comparable operating model (membership + journals + conferences), but with broader disciplinary scope. Acts as upstream publishing partner and benchmark for large-scale society operations.
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): UK-based scientific society with comparable peer-reviewed journal portfolio, conferences, and membership model. Comparable in publishing partnership structure and event-driven engagement, though broader in chemistry focus than ASMS's mass spectrometry specialization.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): Large US scientific society covering biochemistry, molecular biology, and proteomics. Comparable in being a membership-based society with journals (JBC, MCP), a flagship annual meeting (Discover BMB), and short courses. Overlaps with ASMS in proteomics/mass spectrometry use cases, but operates at broader scope.

Regional players

• American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC): US clinical chemistry society with comparable member/conference/journal structure (Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine). Comparable operating model in serving analytical scientists but with a clinical-diagnostics focus rather than mass spectrometry instrumentation research.
• European Mass Spectrometry Association (EMSA): European regional mass spectrometry society coordinating national societies and running pan-European meetings. Directly comparable mission and offerings to ASMS but at the European-continental level rather than US-led.

Emerging players

• Human Proteome Organization (HUPO): International scientific organization focused on proteomics, with major mass spectrometry applications. Hosts the HUPO World Congress and Human Proteome Project. Closely comparable in serving MS-intensive research community but with narrower scope than ASMS.
• The Protein Society: International society focused on protein science, with strong overlap in proteomics applications using mass spectrometry. Comparable governance and annual meeting structure, but smaller and more narrowly focused than ASMS.

Direct peers

• International Mass Spectrometry Society (IMSS): Global federation of national mass spectrometry societies. Hosts the triennial International Mass Spectrometry Conference (IMSC). Direct peer as the highest-level scientific society governing the same mass spectrometry field, with overlapping membership and conference attendees.
• British Mass Spectrometry Society (BMSS): UK-based professional society for mass spectrometry scientists. Operates its own annual conference, membership structure, and educational activities in the same discipline. Comparable in mission, smaller in scale to ASMS but with overlapping topical and community scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asmsnews
• YouTubevimeo.com/channels/asms
• Facebookfacebook.com/American-Society-for-Mass-Spectrometry-ASMS-207951642570341
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Society for Mass Spectrometry