Comprehensive Sampling and Sample Preparation

The primary focus of Professor Pawliszyn's research program is the design of highly automated and integrated instrumentation for the isolation of analytes from complex matrices and the subsequent separation, identification and determination of these species. The primary separation tools used by his group are Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis coupled to variety of detections systems, including range of mass spectrometry techniques. Currently his research is focusing on elimination of organic solvents from the sample preparation step to facilitate on-site monitoring and in-vivo analysis. Several alternative techniques to solvent extraction are investigated including use of coated fibers, packed needles, membranes and supercritical fluids. Dr. Pawliszyn is exploring application of the computational and modeling techniques to enhance performance of sample preparation, chromatographic separations and detection. The major area of his interest involves the development and application of imaging detection techniques for microcolumn chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and micro chip separation devices.

He is an author of over 400 scientific publications and a book on Solid Phase Microextraction. His Hirsch Index (H-index) is 69. He is a Fellow of Royal Society of Canada and Chemical Institute of Canada, editor of Analytica Chimica Acta, Trends in Analytical Chemistry and a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Separation Science. He initiated a conference, "ExTech", focusing on new advances in sample preparation and disseminates new scientific developments in the area, which meets every year in different part of the world. He received the 1995 McBryde Medal, the 1996 Tswett Medal, the 1996 Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography Award, the 1996 Caledon Award, the Jubilee Medal 1998 from the Chromatographic Society, U.K., the 2000 Maxxam Award from Canadian Society for Chemistry, the 2000 Varian Lecture Award from Carleton University, the Alumni Achievement Award for 2000 from Southern Illinois University, the Humboldt Research Award for 2001, 2002 COLACRO Medal, 2003 Canada Research Chair, in 2006 he has been elected to the most cited chemists by ISI, in 2008 he received A.A. Benedetti-Pichler Award from Eastern Analytical Symposium, 2008 Andrzej Waksmundzki Medal from Polish Academy of Sciences, 2008 Manning Principal Award, 2010 Torbern Bergman Medal from the Swedish Chemical Society, 2010 Ontario Premier's Innovation Award, 2010 Marcel Golay Award, 2010 ACS Award in Separation Science and Technology and 2011 PittCon Dal Nogare Award. He presently holds the Canada Research Chair and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Chair in New Analytical Methods and Technologies. He presently holds the University Professor title, the Canada Research Chair and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in New Analytical Methods and Technologies. His Hirsh Index ("H" Index) is 70.

Josep M. Bayona, BSc, PhD in Chemistry in 1985 at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Research Professor at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA) from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) in Barcelona (Spain). His main research interests are the Environmental Chemistry focusing on the transformation processes and the pathway of organic contaminants in the environment and engineered ecosystems. He has been appointed Member of the National Committee to cope with the ecological emergency in the Donana, National Park 1997-1999, Steering Committee of the Catalan Society of Chemistry (2002-2004), GESAMP (Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution) membership 2008. He was editor of the Analytical Chemistry A pages (2003-2005) and currently member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Environmental Chemistry. He is coauthor of 240 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 35 book chapters, H index 29 and 2900 citations. Paola Dugo is full professor of Food Chemistry at the University of Messina and at the "Campus Biomedico" in Rome. She received a degree in chemistry from the University of Messina and a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy. Her research interests are vast, including the development of comprehensive chromatography and high throughput separation methods, applied to the study of the composition of citrus products (essential oils and juices); components with possible biological activity in natural matrices (carotenoids, anthocyanins, coumarins); essential oils from aromatic plants; the aromatic fraction of wine and other alcoholic beverages; triglycerides in food fats and oils. Prof. Dugo is the author of approximately 130 scientific papers, and she has been speaker in national and international congresses and symposia. Moreover, her scientific activity includes invited article, book chapters and invited review articles for international journals, the collaboration for the preparation of the on-line encyclopedia Chromedia. She is member of the editorial board of international scientific journals, Journal of chromatography A and Flavour and Fragrance Journal. Dr. X. Chris Le is an analytical and environmental chemist studying the effects of environmental contaminants on human health. His research team develops highly sensitive techniques and assays that enable studies of human exposure to environmental toxicants. His collaborative work on the determination of arsenic species, assays for trace levels of proteins and DNA damage, and new approaches to detection of these targets have enabled novel toxicological and biological studies. His research has resulted in better detection of environmental contaminants and greater understanding of their health effects. Dr. Le is Distinguished University Professor, jointly appointed in the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Chemistry, and Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta (Canada). He holds an inaugural Canada Research Chair in Bio-Analytical Technology and Environmental Health since 2001. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science, and a Fellow of Chemical Institute of Canada. He has received the following awards that recognize his contributions to both teaching and research: Award for Excellence in Mentoring (2009) and Martha Cook Piper Research Prize (2000) from the University of Alberta; E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2000); W.A.E. McBryde Medal (2002), Maxxam Award (2011), and Environment Research and Development Award (2011) from the Canadian Society for Chemistry. Hian Kee Lee is Professor in the Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his B.Sc. (Honours) and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. His research interests are focused on the development of microscale sample preparation techniques, and microscale separation science and environmental and bio-analytics. Specifically, his work is centred on developing and applying liquid-phase microextraction procedures. Professor Lee was an Editor of Analytica Chimica Acta from 2006-2011, and was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Chromatography A from 2005-2010. He has also served as an editorial advisor for Analytica Chimica Acta (2003-2005), and as an international advisory board member of the Analyst (1997-2008). He is currently an Editor of the Journal of Chromatography A. He is a current scientific advisory board member of Analytical Sciences, an editorial advisory board member of LC*GC Europe and LC*GC Asia Pacific, and a member of the scientific advisory board of Separation Science, a web-based journal that runs the annual Separation Science Asia Symposium in Singapore. He is a co-contributor (on liquid-phase microextraction) to the web-based separation science resource, Chromedia. Professor Lee is the co-chairman of the engineering, physical and chemical sciences cluster of NUS' University Research Committee, a member of the university's Cross-Faculty Research Committee that fosters multidisciplinary research across different faculties, and was also a member of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee from 2007 to 2009. He has served as deputy head and head of his department. He is a member of the executive committee of the NUS Environmental Research Institute. He is a member of the international audit panel of Singapore's Water Reclamation and Desalination programme. He was a recipient of the NUS Outstanding Research Award (2006), the university's Faculty of Science Outstanding Scientist Award (2009), and the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies Foundation Lectureship Award (2009). He is a co-editor of the present Comprehensive Sampling and Sample Preparation monograph. Dr. Xing-Fang Li is a Professor at the University of Alberta (Canada) with cross appointment in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and in the School of Public Health. She is the recipient of 2010 W.A.E. McBryde Medal from the Canadian Society for Chemistry, recognizing her significant achievement in pure or applied analytical chemistry. She currently serves as the Vice-Chair for Environmental Chemistry Division of the Canadian Society for Chemistry. Her diverse research deals with analytical technology development and detection of microbial pathogens, proteins, chemotherapeutics, and water contaminants. She leads two international collaborative projects on studies of microbial pathogens in water and on drinking water disinfection byproducts. Her research team develops new methods for selection of DNA aptamers binding to microbial cells, determines viable but non-culturable microbial organisms, studies molecular interactions using mass spectrometry, identifies new drinking water disinfection byproducts, and studies toxicity of contaminants significant to human health. Dr. Li received B.Sc. (1983) in Chemistry from Hangzhou University, M.Sc. (1986) in Environmental Chemistry from the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, M.Sc. (1990) in Analytical Chemistry from Brock University, and Ph.D. (1995) in Environmental/Analytical Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Li is a guest professor at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Southwest University, and Zhejiang University. Heather Lord is a Research Associate in the group of Professor Pawliszyn with experience in analytical device and method development, sorbent design, and solid phase sample preparation. She has authored over 40 scientific papers in biochemical toxicology and bioanalytical method development. Her primary research interests are in the areas of in vivo sample preparation and new bioanalytical methods development.