Chemistry Professor Janusz Pawliszyn was named the 14th most influential person in analytical science by Analytical Scientist’s 2015 Power List released last week.
The list highlights the top 100 personalities that influence the field today, around the world and across academic, government and industry sectors.
Those of us at Waterloo who have been fortunate to work with Janusz already know he is at the top of our discipline. It makes us all very proud to see that recognized internationally,” said Chemistry Department Chair Bill Power.
Pawliszyn, a Senior NSERC Industrial Research Chair since 1995, is best known for the development of solid phase microextraction (SPME), a sampling method that uses a solid coating to selectively extract specific substances.
The unique solid coating can be applied to any sampling surface and requires little to no sample preparation, making it an ideal solution for rapid, on-site analysis, such as sports drug testing, skin cancer detection, in-vivo brain chemical sampling and pesticide testing.
I learned that it is helpful when developing new science ideas to work with scientists who share the passion for the particular research direction,” says Pawliszyn who holds the Canada Research in New Analytical Methods and Technologies.
His research group’s work into SPME has been so successful, Pawliszyn was also named a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher in 2001.
Further development of mass spectrometry instrumentation will have a dramatic impact on the practice of analytical chemistry,” says Pawliszyn.
Looking to the future, Pawliszyn sees a revolution in instrumentation, miniaturization and on-site capabilities.
Miniaturization of this technology will result in devices facilitating on-site multicomponent analysis, resulting in rapid diagnostic tools in hospitals, rapid screening methods for food quality determinations, and monitoring approaches for environment,” says Pawliszyn.
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