Speakers,
but scientists
above all.
Discover their
background.

Noemí Santiago Sánchez
Labaqua

Noemí Santiago Sánchez has developed her career mainly in Labaqua (Spain) but also in European pharmaceutical companies and research centres. She is an expert in analytics for the determination of pollutants in environmental samples and expert in gas chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques.

Her experience is based especially on the development and validation of new chromatographic methods for the determination of organic pollutants in environmental matrices by extraction techniques as SBSE, LLE, SPE, P&T and analysis by GC-MS, GC-MSMS, GC-FID and GC-ECD. Currently she is involved in the automatization of analytical processes of chromatography analysis in order to improve the productivity of the company.

She has participated in R & D + i spanish and European projects. She has scientific publications in international journals in the field of environmental monitoring and analysis and has made presentations at national and international conferences.

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Catherine Brasseur
Certech

Catherine Brasseur obtained her PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Liege, under the supervision of Professor Jean-François Focant. Her thesis research included a research stay at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.

From 2014 to 2017, she worked at the European Technology Center of ExxonMobil in Machelen, in the Advanced Characterization Department, as Supervisor of the Chromatography Laboratory.

She joined the Certech in 2017, as Senior Analytical Chemist. The main areas of expertise of Catherine Brasseur are comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, as well as sampling and analytical techniques for volatile organic compounds. Covering multiple fields of application such as biological samples, environment, air quality and material emissions.

Yvon Gervaise

Yvon Gervaise, Engineer (INSCIR-INSA), after 32 years at the helm of the SGS Laboratory in Rouen, founded E.S.C (ExpertScience-Consulting) in 2021.

He teaches M2 Chemistry at universities and engineering schools. Since 2018, he has been a full member of the Rouen Academy of Sciences, Belles Lettres and Arts.

A forensic chemist and French expert to the OECD, Yvon has also held a directorship of COFRAC (the French Accreditation Committee) and was re-elected Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of INSA (Institut National des Sciences Appliquées) de Rouen at the end of 2019.

Yvon particularly follows and studies the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence and its applications. He is a member of the Board of Directors and moderator of the GT #Laboratoire du Futur of the SECF ( Société des Experts Chimistes de France ) and his activities are listed on the website expertscience.fr

David Benanou
DEST, Veolia

David Benanou, an expert in innovation and analytical research, joined the Veolia Research Center in 1990. He is specialized in sample preparation techniques, mass spectrometry and the concept of green analytical chemistry.

His field of expertise is mainly dedicated to organic micropollution and to the characterization of organic matter in environmental matrices, in materials in contact with these matrices and of all materials that can be valorized for the Veolia group.

Engineer graduated by the State in 2000, he has actively participated in many European projects. He was also a member of the CEN - European Committee for Standardization - commission on micro organic pollution in sludge, a member of the International Water Association (IWA), specialized in the field of taste and odor of drinking water and chlorination by-products. He is one of the administrators of the Certech research center and a member of the scientific council of the Ellona company.

Promoter, among others, of the SBSE technique applied to a wide variety of matrices and organizer of the SBSE Workshop since 2011, he is also co-author of several patents concerning on-line enrichment systems based on this technique and of numerous scientific papers.

Christophe Pérès
Le Labo Durable

Christophe Pérès began his career at the Research Institute for Chromatography in the analytical instrumentation sector. Under the prestigious direction of Prof. Pat Sandra and Frank David, he deploys state-of-the-art solutions in a wide variety of fields: agri-food, environment, health, fragrance, automotive, military… In 2009, he specialized in the cosmetics sector and became Head of Fragrance Analytical Research at Chanel. During these years, he tried to introduce new analytical methodologies and improvements in data treatments to help analysts to get more efficient and robust strategies. He was involved in many national and international interprofessional groups.

In 2019, concerned about the delay of the analytical sector in eco-design and the consideration of societal challenges, he co-founded The Green Analytical Project, a think-tank dedicated to raising analytical chemical players awareness to environmental issues.

In 2021, he staffed young multidisciplinary experts to create LE LABO DURABLE, a R&D and consulting company specialized in environmental impact evaluations and supporting laboratories in their ecological transformation.

Shane STEVENS
Restek Corporation

Shane STEVENS has over 17 years of experience at Restek in LC and Sample Preparation. His contributions span in-house silica particle manufacturing, laboratory design, development of solid phase extraction and LC column products, and application method development.

For the past four years, Shane has focused on developing coated blade spray (CBS) technologies including manufacturing and quality control testing systems, mass spectrometer interfaces, automation instrumentation, and application workflows for drugs in biological matrices.
Shane is the primary designer of the electronics and software integrating a liquid handling robot into the CBS workflow to perform automated sample preparation and introduction to the MS for analysis.

Shane’s other skill areas include software/firmware development as well as electromechanical design and data science. Shane received his BS in Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and is first inventor of two patent applications covering CBS design features.

Ismahane REMONNAY
DEST, Veolia

Ismahane REMONNAY have a chemistry master and INSEAD business management certificate, she is the head of prospective and partnerships for Veolia in the R&D Direction, and led the prospective program “Chemical Transition Pathway” since 2020, including the development and test of the design tool, including the “safe and sustainable by design” approach. She is also in charge of global regulatory affairs for chemicals (including market authorisation).

During 10 years, Ismahane was responsible for the Regulatory Affairs & Risk at Veolia Water Technologies for chemicals and equipment designed for water and waste treatment. During this period, she designed and implemented a ZHCD Zero Hazardous Chemicals Discharge program. Through this initiative, she developed a scoring method for assessing raw materials used in water treatment processes (OSOM, One Scoring for One Mixture) and Sustainable Chemicals Portfolio Management (SPM).

She is also part of the discussion group regarding “Beyond 2020”, the next step of The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) for the future framework for the sound management of chemicals and waste.

Émilie Usureau
DSM-Firmenich

Emilie Usureau is an engineer chemist graduated from the Graduate school of Chemistry, Biology and Physics of Bordeaux, France.

She joined the DSM (Dutch State Mines) Center in Delft, the Netherlands in 2017, now DSM-Firmenich. Her main areas of expertise are in lipidomics by Flow Injection Analysis, Gas chromatography and head space sample preparation techniques for volatile organic compounds and High-Resolution Mass spectrometry detectors.

Céline FRANC
ISVV

Céline FRANCreceived her PhD in organic chemistry from Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) in 2004. After a two year postdoctoral fellowship in Dublin (Ireland) studying asymmetric catalysis, in 2006 she joined the oenological research group at the University of Bordeaux (France) where she is now a research engineer in analytical chemistry.

As part of the analytical chemistry and sensory analysis team of the oenology research group, she is involved in developing new analytical methods using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction, SPME-Arrow, or SPE followed by gas or liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Her principal research projects revolve around pesticide residues in wine and other matrices of oenological interest. Additional projects include the development of analytical methods, in particular with SBSE-GC-MS, to quantify wine olfactory defects such as cork taint, musty-earthy, vegetal, pharmaceutical, and animal odours, as well as positive minty aromas participating in qualitative ageing bouquet of the wine. Most recently, she is involved in developing methods to track mousiness in wine, a defect of microbial origin.

Stéphane Dubant
Reach Separation

Stéphane Dubant received a training in organic synthetic chemistry followed by a PhD thesis on the chemical origin of life, but he quickly moved towards chromatography. He worked at Pfizer as a purification specialist (SFC, HPLC, CCC/CPC, nanofiltration) then at Waters and Agilent, providing expertise and support in liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography for analysis, extraction, and purification in various application areas. From these different work experiences, he kept a keen interest for supercritical fluids and in particular supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC).

For the past year, Stéphane has installed and been at the head of the purification and method development service laboratory of Reach Separations in Strasbourg with expertise in SFC, in particular for methodologies using pure CO₂ and with industrial scaling in mind.

From a personal point of view, Stéphane spends a lot of his free time in the kitchen, especially baking cakes (sometimes also using CO₂)! He takes a week off every October to attend the world's largest board game fair in Germany.

Jeff Focant
University of Liege

Jeff Focant is Full Professor at the Chemistry Department and Vice-Dean for research of the Faculty of Sciences at ULiege in Belgium.

Professor Focant mainly teaches in Faculties of Sciences, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. He leads the Organic and Biological Analytical Chemistry laboratory inside the Molecular Systems research unit and is an external consultant in Separation Sciences.

Expert in multidimensional GC coupled to MS, his team develops and validate analytical methods for the measurement of (semi)volatile molecules present in complex matrices. Research activities focus on solving real-life analytical challenges to serve the Society in general. Applications cover fields such as forensics, food control, health, petroleomics,...

Major recent activities include metabolomics (volatolomics, breathomics, lipidomics), especially oriented to biomarker discovery in medical applications. The team also specializes in developing advanced chemometric and data handling tools for feature selections, predictive model building, and validation over large data sets from multi-class studies.

Christophe Devos
RIC Technologies

Dr. Christophe DEVOS received his Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry in 2007 from Ghent University. During his Ph.D. study he developed analytical methods for ultra-trace analysis of organometallic compounds in environmental samples that he then applied in a laboratory complying with GMP regulation.

He joined the RIC group (Research Institute for Chromatography) in 2005, located in Kortrijk, Belgium. There he initially was involved in the development and automation of novel sample preparation methods for gas chromatographic analysis.

Currently, he holds the position of Senior Scientist within RIC technologies, a brand of the RIC group focused on equipment and instrumental solutions where he develops and supports new analytical solutions and important market applications.

Xavier Poitou
Hennessy

In 2016, Dr. Xavier POITOU completed his doctoral thesis as part of the École doctorale Sciences de la vie et de la santé (Bordeaux), in partnership with the Oenology Research Unit; his work focused on contributing to the aromatic knowledge of red wines through the sensory and molecular approach to "vegetal, green" nuances linked to their origin.

In 2017, he joined Hennessy's research laboratory in Cognac as a research and development manager.

Within the same company, he became research and innovation coordinator and is now in charge of research and development, using high-tech separative science equipment and green enrichment techniques such as SBSE in his laboratory to characterize cognacs and their manufacturing processes.

Agnes CHARTIER
Université d'Orléans (France)

Doctor Agnes CHARTIER obtained her doctorate in 1987 from the University of LYON 1, in Dr Jean Louis Rocca's team, on the subject of the development and study of the chromatographic properties of multifunctional stationary phases and their application to the separation of PTH-amino acids by liquid chromatography.

She began her professional career in the Logan Chemistry Department at Utah State University, where she worked on low-cost white light sources; she then joined the Dupont Nylon Center in Texas, where she had the opportunity to develop analytical methods adapted to nylon reaction intermediates. Back in Utah, Agnes concentrated on developing and implementing new analytical methods for the analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus in aqueous media. Moving to Pittsburgh to join paint manufacturer Valspar as a senior chemist, she developed new analytical techniques in response to the requirements of regulatory agencies, FDA and EFSA, and provided analytical support to the resins and barrier-active plastics groups.

Returning to France in 2011, she joined the Institut de Chimie Organique et Analytique (ICOA UMR7311) at the University of Orléans as a Chargée de Recherches (CRCN), where she focused on developing new methodologies for the analysis and characterization of volatile and semi-volatile compounds extracted from plant material, as well as new stationary phases for two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC-2D) to improve selectivity and separation efficiency in the second dimension.

Rémy FULCHIC
Château Leoville las cases

Rémy FULCHIC holds a Diplôme d'Ingénieur des Travaux Agricoles specialized in viticulture and oenology, as well as a Diplôme National d'Oenologue obtained in Bordeaux.

He joined Château Leoville Las Cases in 2003 as Research and Development Manager. His responsibilities include studying the impact of new viticultural and oenological practices, as well as managing the Domaines Delon group's in-house analytical laboratory.

Since 2004, he has been involved in the development of analytical methods on two SBSE-GC-MS systems and one HPLC-MSMS. In GC-MS, and now GC-TOF since 2021, analyses are essentially linked to monitoring the microbiological stability of wines (determination of volatile phenols), and to preventing possible external contamination (determination of halophenols / haloanisoles and research into contaminants on materials that may come into contact with wine or that may be found in storage environments).

Beate Gruber
Lab Manager at Analytical and Material Science

Beate received her Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Rostock (Germany). Her practical work focused on the application of multi-dimensional gas chromatography in the field of volatolomics and was carried out in the cooperation group ‘Comprehensive Molecular Analytics’ at Helmholtz Munich (HMGU, Germany).

She then worked as post-doctoral researcher in Belgium (Organic & Biological Analytical Chemistry, University of Liège) and the Unites States (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University), followed by a position as research scientist at the Research Institute for Chromatography (RIC, Belgium). In 2019, Beate joined Analytical and Material Science at BASF SE (Germany).

Her expertise includes capillary gas chromatography coupled to various detection technologies (GC-FID, GC-MS, GC-VUV, GC-TEA, GC-EPED, etc.), multidimensional gas chromatography (GC-GC, GCxGC) and miniaturized sample preparation (SPME, NTME, TFME, SBSE, etc.) for trace analysis of volatile organic compounds.

Amélie Lagarde
Laboratory of Scientific Police

Amélie Lagarde, after obtaining her Master's degree in Control and Forensic Analysis from Claude Bernard University in Lyon, works at the LATLUMOX laboratory in Lyon (France), where she develops and validates analytical methods and sample preparation techniques., in particular for the investigation and assay of various compounds (ethanol and other volatiles, narcotics, xenobiotics, cyanides...) in connection with traffic offences, chemical submissions and cause-of-death investigations...

In 2016, Amélie joined the Service national de police scientifique (SNPS) in Paris as a toxicology engineer. There, she is head of the road safety section, equipment coordinator within the Chemistry Division and trainer of staff in analytical techniques such as LC/MS/MS, GC/MS, GC/MS/MS as well as miniaturized and automated sample preparation.

Jérôme Cotton
Nestlé Waters

Jérôme COTTON obtained his PhD in analytical chemistry in 2015 following a CIFRE thesis between the University of Paris Jussieu and the research center of the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) in Saclay. During his PhD, he specialized in screening of suspected molecules in environmental samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry by applying tools traditionally used in metabolomics for the life science studies. In particular, he applied this methodology to samples of honey, wine or water. He then put his experience for 2 years in a start-up: Profilomic in which he worked as a project manager.

In 2017, he joined the Nestlé group and more specifically the Nestlé Waters entity based in Vittel as a specialist of analytical development. Among other things, he is involved in the deployment of new analytical methods for the detection of molecules responsible of an off-taste or an off-odor to water.

In 2023, he took the responsibility of the analytical investigation and development team, whose missions are to monitor scientific bibliography and technology for the water testing and to develop new analytical strategies based on high-resolution mass spectrometry and new-generation data mining tools.

Damien STEYER
Twistaroma

Founder and CEO of Twistaroma, this analytical biologist-chemist has specialized for over 15 years in the characterization of volatile compounds and odorant substances.

His training in biotechnology, completed by a PhD on wine aromas, led him to develop expertise in gas chromatography and solvent-free volatile compound extraction techniques. He leads numerous applied research projects, ranging from the authentication of complex matrices (spirits, essential oils, plant extracts) to the exploration of rare olfactory profiles (clinical compresses, meteorites, rare plants). His work, regularly published and presented at conferences, highlights a rigorous analytical approach combined with reflection on sustainability and technical innovation challenges.

An active promoter of GCxGC-ToF-MS coupled with SPME, he also stands out for his commitment to scientific outreach on social media, aimed at industry professionals and researchers in the field. His goal is to fully integrate the principles of green chemistry into tomorrow's analytical strategies.

Giorgia PURCARO
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège

She works on the development and miniaturization of sample preparation coupled with hyphenated chromatographic techniques (e.g., LC-Gc, GC×GC) mainly related to food contaminants. In recent years she has been very active in the field of MOSH and MOAH to solve several analytical challenges.

She is the author of over 145 publications, 14 book chapters and more than 300 conference presentations, with an H-index of 35. She received the Leslie Ettre award for the most outstanding contribution in capillary chromatography and the J.Philips award for her contribution to the field of comprehensive two-dimensional GC.

Emmanuelle BICHON
LABERCA

Emmanuelle BICHON earned her PhD in Public Health in 2016 from the Université Bretagne Loire in Nantes, where she presented her work on the challenges of analyzing ultra-trace levels of chemical hazards in complex matrices.

As head of the technical support and innovation team at LABERCA, an Oniris teaching and research unit for 16 years, she supports pollutant research and monitoring teams for the identification and quantification of pollutants in foodstuffs and biological fluids, ultimately contributing to better characterization of the exposome. To this end, she implements and evaluates sample preparation tools as well as the integration of chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Furthermore, she has been involved in standardization as president of the Afnor V03B commission dedicated to horizontal analysis methods in food since 2023. She has also chaired the West Atlantic chromatography club since 2018 within the French-speaking association of separation sciences.

Frank DAVID
RIC technologies

Dr. Frank DAVID obtained his PhD in 1986 at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry of Ghent University. Since October 1986, he has been head of R&D for chemical analysis at RIC group (Research Institute for Chromatography), in Kortrijk, Belgium, under the direction of Professor Pat Sandra.

Frank David is the author of more than 100 scientific articles in different fields of separation science. His expertise covers capillary gas chromatography, supercritical liquid chromatography (SFC), GC mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), multidimensional chromatography, miniaturization and automation of sample preparation.

In addition, he is a consultant for instrument manufacturers and industrial laboratories in the environmental, petrochemical, food, pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. In this position, he has extensive experience in theoretical and practical training courses.

Finally, he is also a member of the scientific committee of the HTC (Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography) symposiums and the organizing committee of the ISCC (Riva del Garda, Italy).

Christophe TONDELIER
Veolia - DEST

Christophe began his career at Veolia in 2005 during his final-year internship (DESS specialized in analytical chemistry) focusing on the implementation of a methodology for analyzing silicones in cosmetics industry effluents using pyrolysis coupled with GC/MS. For over 20 years, he has provided support and expertise in the analysis of organic substances in various matrices, as a research engineer and manager of a gas chromatography laboratory.

He is involved in numerous R&D projects aligned with environmental challenges and the group's needs: water and industrial effluent treatment (particularly Oil & Gas), waste sorting and recovery (characterization of recycled plastics, PV panels), environmental impact studies through the search for organic micropollutants (chemical screening, passive sampling), including microplastics in water and, more recently, PFAS in solid and liquid waste.

Gaëla LEROY
Veolia - DEST

After graduating from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, Gaëla Leroy joined Veolia's Analytical Research team in 2001. Drawing on her expertise in the development of numerous analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS/MS) for the quantification of micropollutants in various environmental matrices, she now provides analytical support to R&D projects.

In addition to traditional approaches for collecting and preparing environmental samples, Gaëla has also explored and implemented passive sampling techniques, such as POCIS, prior to LC analyses.

Over the past ten years, she has specialized in LC-HRMS, developing innovative screening approaches for research projects and as part of scientific and technical assistance.

Noah WEISS
Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions

Noah Weiss completed his PhD in analytical chemistry from Arizona State University in 2011 with a specialty in microfluidics and electrophoretic separations. After completing his PhD, he spent 5 years working for Roche Diagnostics in Germany supporting the development of a fully automated LC-MS based clinical analyzer which was recently launched on the European market.

Noah joined Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions in Texas USA, formerly GE and SUEZ, in 2016 as Lead Researcher developing new analytical methods including novel sample preparation along with LC-MS/GC-MS and capillary electrophoresis equipment. Noah also led the implementation of EPA 533 for PFAS analysis by LC-MS and has also developed test methods outside the scope of standard methods to provide unique insights for the water treatment industry.

Currently, he is a Lab Manager for Veolia WTS at the Tomball TX facility overseeing advanced testing support in a variety of industrial matrices for over 10,000 samples per year. Collectively, he has 15 years of experience working in industrial support labs with advanced spectroscopic, chromatographic, and mass spectrometry instrumentation to push the boundaries of analytical measurement science.

Ehsan ALBORZI
Translational Energy Research Center

Dr. Ehsan Alborzi is a researcher specializing in aviation fuels and lubricants. He has in-depth knowledge of chemical kinetics and quantum chemistry. His expertise lies in building detailed and reduced predictive models for the thermal and oxidative stability of fuels and carbon deposits on surfaces in aircraft engine injection systems.

Dr. Alborzi obtained his PhD in 2009 from the mechanical engineering department at the University of Sheffield, in numerical modeling and experimental study of the thermal stability of aviation fuels and surface carbon deposits. Since obtaining his PhD, he has participated in several national and international research projects on the thermal stability of aviation fuels and lubricants, as well as selective filtration of aviation fuels, in close collaboration with Rolls Royce, the Ministry of Defense, Air BP, Shell Aviation, Total, DLR, ONERA, COMOTI, Toyota Motor Europe and Johnson Matthey.

He currently works with the Translational Energy Research Center on sustainable aviation fuel research themes such as fuel composition-property relationships, technical suitability of aviation fuels for application in aircraft engines and material compatibility.

Daniel CARDIN
Entech Instruments

Daniel Cardin received advanced degrees in Organic Chemistry from UC Riverside and in Electrical Engineering from California Polytechnic University, and started his career as a Petroleum Analytical Chemist at Unocal, analyzing oil fractions on early Finnigan quadrupoles, and VG and Kratos hi-rez magnetic sector instruments. In 1990, Daniel founded Entech Instruments to fill a need for improved sample preparation for analysis of sub-PPB volatile chemicals in air by GCMS using vacuum sampling canisters.


Daniel has focused on the development of solutions for sampling, storing, extracting, and accurately analyzing VOC thru SVOCs by GCMS, in gas, liquid, and solid matrices. Early developments included Microscale Purge & Trap and Extended Cold Trap Dehydration in 3-stage trapping systems to eliminate moisture and CO2 more effectively during VOC analysis. Daniel developed a CVD coating called Silonite to treat stainless and glass surfaces to render them inert, preventing chemicals from adsorbing and reacting with surfaces during extraction and transfer to the GCMS. A total of 23 patents have been filed on Entech innovations, resulting in 79 patents issued in 10 countries, with additional patents pending.


Two recent developments include Sorbent Pens which can perform vacuum extractions within a sample vial to maximize recovery of volatile, semi-volatile, and PFAS compounds, and an extraction technique called SPICE- Solid Phase Incremental Capillary Extraction, that utilizes multiple capillary columns of increasing affinities to replace multi-bed packed traps. Daniel's interests include advancing the accuracy, speed, and automation of GC sample preparation. Focused applications include measuring biochemical markers in breath, non-discriminatory extraction during trace headspace analysis supporting both targeted and non-targeted analysis, and developing sample preparation solutions that keep GC inlets contamination free to maximize laboratory productivity.

Linda MONACI
Italian National Research Council (CNR)

Dr. Linda Monaci is Research Director at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and is leader in the mass spectrometry field. She boasts a significant experience in food safety and quality of foods with special focus placed on the development of innovative methods based on mass spectrometry detection in the field of food allergens analysis and food authenticity.

She led several EU funded projects and is member of working groups and technical committees of international bodies on the harmonization of analytical methodologies: AOAC-US, CEN/TC, ILSI etc.

She boosts over 25th years of experience in mass spectrometry and has spent significant periods working in different European assets working on the development and standardization of analytical methods.

Linda Monaci authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers, was member of advisory boards, organizing committees of international Mass Spectrometry conferences, chaired many sessions on food safety and quality, and is editor of peer-reviewed journals in food chemistry and nutrition.

Laurence JACQUES
Ecoxtract

Laurence Jacques is an engineer, graduated from Polytechnique and Mines de Paris. She worked for 19 years for Lafarge and 11 years for a fine chemicals company, Minafin, where she managed the pharmaceutical fine chemicals division. In 2017, she began working on replacing hexane with a bio-sourced solvent manufactured by Minafin, 2-methyloxolane. In 2023, 2-methyloxolane was approved for food extraction in Europe. Following Minafin's decision to refocus on pharmaceutical chemistry, she bought the patents and technical developments with a partner in 2024 and is now commercializing the hexane substitution technology within Ecoxtract, a mission-driven startup whose objective is: To improve human health and the environment by eliminating hexane from food and non-food products.

As part of her substitution work, she led the development of methods for measuring hexane and 2-methyloxolane residues in food with a detection limit of 5 to 10 µg/kg, more accurate than standard hexane detection methods (LOD = 1 mg/kg).

Benoît CAPRIN
Gattefossé

Benoît CAPRIN, a chemical engineer specializing in Chemical Engineering (ENSCCF), has been working for over 15 years in the exciting world of plant extraction at Gattefossé. At the interface between botanists and biologists, he designs, develops, and industrializes extraction processes for the cosmetics market, favoring the principles of eco-extraction and green chemistry. Head of a research unit dedicated to the creation of new extraction solvents, he has developed mixtures inspired by Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDES), making it possible to obtain innovative and high-performance active ingredients.

In 2023, Benoît obtained his PhD in materials science at INSA Lyon, at the Polymer Materials Engineering Laboratory (IMP). His work focused on two main areas: the characterization of intermolecular interactions in NaDES mixtures and the development of a gelation process for these solvents and plant extracts using bio-sourced polysaccharides. This process allows the production of materials with remarkable microbiological stability compared to hydrogels. The phytochemical stability of gelled NaDES extracts is comparable to that obtained after adding preservatives to liquid extracts. Thus, gelation represents a promising way to replace the use of preservatives.

Maud LEMOIS
INRAE

A young talent in French research, Maud Lemois is blazing a trail in the complex world of analytical chemistry. Graduating with a BTSA Anabiotec in 2019, she quickly proved herself as a pharmacotoxicology technician at the Raymond Poincaré Hospital, where she honed her expertise in cutting-edge analytical techniques.

Since January 2024, this specialist in chromatographic techniques has joined INRAE as part of the prestigious "Ferments du Futur" project. At UMR SayFood in Paris-Saclay, she applies her know-how to research on fermented products, using cutting-edge technologies such as GC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS.

In parallel with her professional activities, Maud is pursuing her academic development with advanced training in mass spectrometry at the CNRS and is preparing a VAE degree in chemical analysis at the CNAM. A career that perfectly illustrates the alliance between technical expertise and scientific ambition in modern research.

Aurélien CUCHET
L'Oréal

Aurélien Cuchet obtained his PhD in analytical chemistry in 2021 following a CIFRE thesis between the Institut des Sciences Analytiques de Lyon and Albert Vieille (Givaudan Group). His work focused on the analytical development of strategies for authenticating the origin of natural ingredients such as essential oils, using innovative methodologies such as stable isotope analysis (EA-IRMS, GC-IRMS) and enantiomeric signature determination (MDGC Heart-cutting).

After his thesis, he joined L'Oréal's International Analytical Chemistry Department in 2022 to manage analytical projects related to fine perfumery and the perfuming of cosmetic products. His main areas of expertise are the analytical development of new methods for dosing regulatory traces in perfumery (GC-FID/MS, GC-HRMS, GCxGC comprehensive, LC-MS/MS), assistance in the development and innovation of new perfumes for the L'Oréal Group, the provision of analytical knowledge on perfumery ingredients and the traceability of the origins of natural raw materials.

Caroline GAUCHOTTE-LYNDSAY
University of Glasgow

Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay (she/her) is Professor of Environmental Engineering and Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and leads the hiRACE (High-resolution Analytical Chemistry for the Environment) research group.

Her work advances cutting-edge analytical methods to unravel the complexity of environmental systems, with applications in wastewater and soil. By applying high-resolution mass spectrometry and chromatography to challenges such as pollution monitoring, contaminant fate, and remediation, she bridges fundamental chemistry with engineering practice.

She is also Chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry Environmental Chemistry Group and holds a DEA in Analytical Chemistry (ESPCI Paris VI), an MSc in Forensic Science (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow), and a PhD in Environmental Engineering (Queen’s University Belfast).

Pascal CARDINAEL
University of Rouen

Pascal Cardinael obtained a master's degree in organic chemistry in 1994 and a doctorate in analytical chemistry in 2000 from the University of Rouen (France). In 2001, he became a Senior Lecturer at the Laboratory of Separation Methods and Sciences (SMS UR3233) at the University of Rouen Normandy, then Professor of Analytical Chemistry in 2011.

He has led the chromatography team since 2012 and the SMS UR3233 Laboratory since 2022. The laboratory has recognized expertise in the development of new stationary phases and miniaturized columns for gas chromatography. The laboratory also works on the miniaturization of sample preparation (MEPS, SBSE, ECOROOTS, QuEChERS, etc.). All practical and fundamental aspects of two-dimensional gas chromatography are also studied, including modulator technology, retention modeling, and coupling with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Caroline WEST
University of Orléans

Caroline West is a Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Orléans, France, where she teaches separation sciences and chemometrics. Her main scientific interests focus on liquid and supercritical chromatography in achiral mode and supercritical phase extraction. She also applies these methods to samples of therapeutic or pharmaceutical interest and to natural products.

She is the author of over 100 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and has given more than 100 presentations at national and international conferences and seminars. In 2015, she received the "LC‐GC Emerging Leader in Chromatography" award from LC‐GC North America and has been repeatedly ranked among the most influential people in analytical chemistry by "The Analytical Scientist" magazine (2014, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021). More recently, she received the Jubilee Medal from the British Chromatography Society (2021) and the JFK Huber Award from the Austrian Society for Analytical Chemistry (2025). She is also a member of the advisory board of several journals in separation sciences (LC‐GC North America, Journal of Chromatography A, Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Chromatographia...)

Gerd VANHOENACKER
RIC group

Senior Scientist Applications LC at RIC group (Kortrijk, Belgium)

Gerd Vanhoenacker received a Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Ghent University, Belgium in 2004. In 2003, he joined RIC group, a company that provides chromatographic, electrophoretic and mass spectrometric support to the chemical, life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. His expertise includes liquid chromatography (HPLC, UHPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and sample preparation.

He currently holds the position of Senior Scientist Applications LC at RIC technologies, part of RIC group. In this function, he is responsible for providing complete LC and LC-MS based analytical solutions and sample preparation automation workflows for customers in various fields of industry and academia.

Over the last years a significant part of his activities included method development for 2D-LC. He has practical experience with 2D-LC for the analysis of samples coming from a diversity of industries such as food, pharma, consumer products, amongst others.

Gerd Vanhoenacker is author and co-author of over 40 scientific papers and book chapters and over 30 application notes covering various areas of separation science and related technologies.

Incoming

Caterina CACCIATORI
Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Caterina pursued a master's degree in urban engineering from The University of Tokyo, where she studied from September 2018 to September 2020, and a master in environment, development, and peace from the University for Peace in Costa Rica, in 2021. Currently, she is earning her Doctor of Philosophy in Biology and Biotechnology at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia, a program she began in September 2022.

Since 2021, Caterina Cacciatori serves as a Scientific Project Officer at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the Water Laboratory, in Ispra, Italy. In this role, she supervises "The Gems of Water" initiative, which is a novel citizen engagement program for water quality monitoring. For "The Gems of Water" initiative, she coordinates groups of citizen scientists across countries to collect and extract water samples using the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction technology and she performs chemical analysis using Gas Chromatography Quadruple Time of Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometry. She also adapts technical approaches for non-scientific groups using engaging content such as videos and illustrations and manages data sharing on open-access user-friendly platforms. Caterina represents the JRC at the Citizen Science for SDG 6.3.2 working group of the World Water Quality Alliance.

Antonio CABEZA
Aguas de Barcelona

Antonio Cabeza has a degree in Chemical Sciences (University of Barcelona) and has developed almost his entire professional career at Aguas de Barcelona. He is currently the head of the Aigües de Barcelona laboratory, a Spanish reference center in the field.

He has 25 years of experience in the laboratory, during which he has set up new analytical methodologies and carried out the monitoring and maintenance of the management systems applied in the laboratory, highlighting the accreditation according to the ISO 17025 standard and other systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 22000.

He is a member of the DAQUAS (Spanish Urban Water Association) accredited Laboratories working group, developing and publishing different guides for the validation and quality control of analytical methods. In addition, he was part of the working group led by the Spanish Ministry of Health, in collaboration with DAQUAS, for the preparation of guides for the implementation of Water Safety Plans in supply companies.

Lauriane BARRITAUD
Veolia - DEST

Head of the "Chemical Monitoring and Characterization" team, DEST, VEOLIA

Lauriane BARRITAUD began her career at Veolia in 2007 after obtaining an engineering degree in analytical chemistry from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, France. With 18 years of experience at the "centre d'analyses environnementales" laboratory and then at Veolia Research and Innovation, she has developed in-depth expertise in the analysis of environmental micropollutants by GC/MS, LC/MS, and high-resolution LC/MS, through the development of targeted analytical methods and screening analyses. Over the past 10 years, her research areas have expanded to include microplastics analysis and the characterization of recycled plastics.

She has also broadened her skill set to include project management and leadership. Since April 2024, she has held the position of R&D Manager, leading a team of 15 people specialized in the characterization and chemical monitoring of environmental matrices.