Ep. 48: From Fortran to Field Flow Fractionation

Welcome to “Analytically Speaking,” the podcast from LCGC International and Spectroscopy.

In this episode, podcast co-hosts Dr. Dwight Stoll and Dr. James Grinias talk with Dr. Mark Schure, who has worked in separation science for over 35 years in both industry and academia. Over a 28-year period, he worked for Digital Equipment Corporation, the Rohm and Haas Company, and the Dow Chemical Company. Since then, he has served as Chief Technology Officer for Kroungold Analytical, and he has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware for over 20 years. Dr. Schure is a widely recognized expert in separation science who has published more than 110 papers, holds numerous patents, and edited the book Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography. His scientific interests encompass the fundamental separation science of complex molecules, polymers, and colloids, alongside 2D chromatography, retention mechanisms, and field flow fractionation. He has received numerous accolades, including the Eastern Analytical Symposium Award in Separation Science and the Uwe Neue Award from the HPLC conference.

In a wide ranging conversation recorded live at the HPLC 2026 conference in Indianapolis following a memorial session for Prof. Peter Carr, we explore Mark’s unique entry into separation science, which benefited from prior experiences building amplifiers and electronics before transitioning to write Fortran software as a consultant for chemists at Northeastern University. We then discuss Mark’s foundational simulation work in field flow fractionation (FFF), including his approaches to modeling Coriolis effects and sedimentation. We also spend some time talking about Mark’s pioneering theoretical contributions to 2D chromatography on topics including sampling rate and detection limits. Finally, Mark shares his perspective on the intense inter-diffusion of information between his modeling group and Pete Carr and Ilja Siepmann at the University of Minnesota, the future of analytical chemistry, the need for improved analytical strategies for complex matrices like exosomes, and the potential for artificial intelligence to help identify unknown compounds in complex mixtures.

Literature Discussed

(1) S.A. Cohen, M.R. Schure, eds., Multidimensional liquid chromatography: theory and applications in industrial chemistry and the life sciences, Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, N.J, 2008.

(2) R.E. Murphy, M.R. Schure, J.P. Foley, Effect of sampling rate on resolution in comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography, Anal. Chem. 70 (1998) 1585–1594. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac971184b.

(3) M.R. Schure, Limit of detection, dilution factors, and technique compatibility in multidimensional separations utilizing chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and field-flow fractionation, Anal. Chem. 71 (1999) 1645–1657. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac981128q.

(4) H.C. Berg, Random Walks in Biology: New and Expanded Edition, Princeton University Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv7r40w6.

More about our hosts:

Dwight Stoll, PhD:

Dwight R. Stoll is a professor of chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota, under Professor Peter Carr, working on the development of fast, comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). Stoll’s current primary research focus is on the development of 2D-LC for both targeted and untargeted analyses. Active research projects in his laboratory touch on most aspects of multidimensional separation methodologies, including optimization strategies, characterization of selectivity in reversed-phase LC, instrument development, and applications in biopharmaceutical analysis. Stoll is the author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and six book chapters and has instructed numerous short courses in 2D-LC. In 2011 he was the recipient of LCGC’s Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award. In 2017 he received the Georges Guiochon Faculty Fellowship, and was recognized with an Agilent Technologies Thought Leader Award. He is also a member of LCGC’s editorial advisory board and is the editor of the “LC Troubleshooting” column in LCGC.

Jerome Workman, Jr., PhD:

Jerome (Jerry) J. Workman, Jr. is the Associate Editorial Director for Spectroscopy. He has held positions as CTO, executive VP, senior research fellow, director, and senior scientist at companies of all sizes, from start-ups to world-leading corporations. He has been an adjunct faculty member of four universities and advised multiple graduate students. He has more than 75 U.S. and international patent applications and 30 issued U.S. and international patents and multiple trade secrets, as well as 500+ technical publications, and 20 reference book volumes on a broad range of spectroscopy and data processing techniques. He has received multiple awards from scientific societies, and has taught annual courses in spectroscopy, chemometrics, and statistics for the AOAC, ACS, ISA, FACSS, and at several universities and corporations. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists (FAIC), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK (FRSC, CChem, CSci). Jerry holds B.A and M.A degrees from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, and a PhD degree from Columbia Pacific University working in near-infrared spectroscopy. He is an alumnus of both Columbia University Business School and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

About the Analytically Speaking Podcast:

Analytically Speaking, the podcast from LCGC and Spectroscopy, addresses important issues in separation science and analytical spectroscopy. Topics include new analytical techniques, methods, and approaches; the latest trends; advances in instrument and software technology; practical solutions for specific applications; recent papers in the scientific literature and their applicability; challenges and solutions for data analysis and interpretation; analytical chemistry theory and fundamentals (from advanced research to tutorials and troubleshooting); and more. Our regular hosts are Dwight Stoll, PhD, a professor of chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and Jerry Workman, PhD, a spectroscopist, noted author, and currently the Associate Editorial Director for Spectroscopy. Dwight covers separation science and Jerry addresses spectroscopy related topics.

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