Buchanan joined ORNL in 1978 in the Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division and is group leader of the Organic Mass Spectrometry Group. She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1973 and holds a doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin since 1978.
Her research interests include development of gas phase processes for elucidation of molecular structure, advanced methods for DNA analysis and trace detection of compounds in physiological and environmental matrices. She is particularly interested in trapped ion mass spectrometry techniques.
She has served on the editorial advisory boards of Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Organic Mass Spectrometry and Biological and Environmental Mass Spectrometry. Buchanan was an associate editor for Biological Mass Spectrometry. She has published more than 120 scientific publications, proceedings and technical reports and has presented more than 100 lectures. Buchanan edited a book on Fourier transform mass spectrometry and holds two patents.
Buchanan is treasurer for the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Analytical Chemistry and has served as chair of the East Tennessee Section of the ACS. She also has served as treasurer for the American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) and chair of the Environmental Applications Group of ASMS.
Buchanan and her husband, A. C., live in West Knox County. They have a daughter, Lauren.
ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation.