Revisiting the Rising Stars of Separation Science

LCGC International’s “Rising Stars of Separation Science” features interviews with some of the emerging leaders in chromatography. These interviews focus on the researcher’s passion for chromatography, their current research focus (and why it’s important), and the next steps in their career.

In this article, we provide a compilation of some of the researchers we profiled in our “Rising Stars” feature, highlighting the work that they are currently doing to advance chromatography. Happy reading!

ISC 2024: An Interview with Caitlin Cain

At the 34th International Symposium on Chromatography (October 6–10, 2024, Liverpool, United Kingdom) last year, LCGC International honored Caitlin Cain of the University of Michigan with the Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Gas Chromatography, sponsored by Organomation. Cain earned her BS in Chemistry and Forensic Science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019 and her PhD from the University of Washington in 2024 under Robert Synovec (1). Her doctoral research advanced non-targeted data analysis for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC×GC–MS) (1). With over 20 publications, she has also received multiple awards which reflect her significant contributions and promise in analytical chemistry (1).

ISC 2024: An Interview with Bram Huygens

At the 34th International Symposium on Chromatography (October 6–10, 2024, Liverpool, United Kingdom) last year, LCGC International presented Bram Huygens with the Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Outstanding Achievement in Liquid Chromatography, sponsored by Advanced Materials Technology. Huygens is a postdoctoral researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His work specializes in modeling band broadening to improve separation efficiency (2). By applying advanced mathematical techniques, Huygens is working to understand mass transfer phenomena across technologies from packed bed to multicapillary columns (2). By translating complex processes into solvable models, Huygens advances both theoretical and practical chromatography, demonstrating the vital role of mathematical modeling in developing innovative separation science methods (2).

ISC 2024: An Interview with Alexandre Goyon

At the 34th International Symposium on Chromatography (October 6–10, 2024, Liverpool, United Kingdom), LCGC International awarded Alexandre Goyon of Genentech the Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pharmaceutical Analysis, sponsored by VUV Analytics. Goyon is a Principal Scientist at Genentech, where he develops advanced multidimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) methods to analyze complex pharmaceutical compounds (3). He earned his PhD from the University of Geneva in 2019 and has held positions across academia and industry (3). With over 50 publications, Goyon has addressed critical challenges in pharmaceutical science (3). His work has earned multiple honors, including American Chemical Society (ACS) and Chinese American Chromatography Association (CACA) young investigator awards.

University of Geneva Scientist Selected for 2024 Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Excellence in Biopharmaceutical Analysis

At the 34th International Symposium on Chromatography (October 7, 2024, Liverpool, United Kingdom), Amarande Murisier received LCGC International’s Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biopharmaceutical Analysis, sponsored by Agilent Technologies. Murisier earned her PhD from the University of Geneva in 2022, focusing on improving liquid chromatography techniques such as size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and ion exchange chromatography (IEX), coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) for therapeutic protein characterization (4). She contributed to pioneering ultra-short columns for biopharmaceutical analysis and now serves as Analytical Lab Manager at Merck (4). Her work has advanced protein analysis, supporting innovation in both research and applied biopharmaceutical sciences (4).

Rising Stars of Separation Science: David Steiner

In this interview, we sat down with David Steiner, who is the head of product development at LVA GmbH–Lebensmittelversuchsanstalt in Klosterneuburg, Austria. Steiner, an analytical chemist with over eight years of expertise in chromatographic separation methods, focusing on developing multi-contaminant liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) methods for food and feed (5). He pioneered a globally unique LC–MS/MS method capable of detecting over 1200 agricultural contaminants, earning the American Chemical Society’s 2021 award for best research article in the Agrochemical section (5). His work includes significant advancements in validating feed matrices and creating artificial complex feed formulations (5). After earning his PhD, he led LC–MS/MS analytics at Romer Labs in Austria and the UK, and he now serves as Head of Product Development at LVA GmbH.

References

1. Matheson, A. ISC 2024: An Interview with Caitlin Cain. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/isc-2024-an-interview-with-caitlin-cain (accessed 2025-08-13).
2. Matheson, A. ISC 2024: An Interview with Bram Huygens. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/isc-2024-an-interview-with-bram-huygens (accessed 2025-08-13).
3. Matheson, A. ISC 2024: An Interview with Alexandre Goyon. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/isc-2024-an-interview-with-alexandre-goyon (accessed 2025-08-13).
4. Hroncich, C. University of Geneva Scientist Selected for 2024 Rising Stars of Separation Science Award for Excellence in Biopharmaceutical Analysis. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/university-of-geneva-scientist-2024-rising-stars-of-separation-science-award-for-excellent-in-biopharmaceutical-analysis (accessed 2025-08-13).
5. Lavery, P. Rising Stars of Separation Science: David Steiner. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/rising-stars-separation-science-david-steiner (accessed 2025-08-14).