Best of the Week: Charting Your Path to Career Success

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on trending topics in separation science, including our annual award winners and charting one’s path after earning your PhD. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles that were published this week in no particular order.

We’d love to hear from you! Is there a topic you’d like to see covered in LCGC? Share your ideas with us—we value your feedback and are committed to exploring the subjects that matter most to our readers. Email chroncich@mjhlifesciences.com with your thoughts. Happy reading!

Beyond the PhD: Charting Your Path to Career Success

Isabelle Kohler

Universities and host institutes train PhD students and postdocs to become skilled researchers, equipping them with technical expertise, critical thinking, and academic abilities such as writing and presenting. They also develop leadership, creativity, independence, and teamwork. However, there is one area that often receives very little attention: career orientation and preparation. Recently, Isabelle Kohler of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam discussed her insights and guidance for those navigating the analytical field.

Retaining Talent in Field-Flow Fractionation: An Initiative

Susanne Boye, Alina Astefanei, Marie Hennetier, Valentina Marassi, Jérémei Parot, William C. Smith, Claudia Zielke

Field-flow fractionation (FFF), when combined with multiple detectors, is a versatile analytical and separation technique. Over the years, the field of FFF has brought forward numerous sub-techniques and has seen a growth in popularity worldwide. However, FFF remains somewhat of a niche technique, and qualified students and personnel are leaving the field, resulting in a gap between potential and practical application. Here, the founders of the Young Scientists of FFF (YSFFF) discuss their motivations for establishing the initiative within the FFF community.

Nominate a Colleague for the 2026 LCGC Awards

Caroline Hroncich

Each year, LCGC International honors two outstanding professionals in separation science. The Emerging Leader Award celebrates a rising star who is already making a significant impact early in their career. While the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a seasoned expert whose years of dedication and contributions have shaped the field. Featured in this article is an overview of the updates to the selection and application process for our 2026 awards, and more information on how you can nominate a colleague for these awards.

LCGC Award Winners Share Advice for the Next Generation

Aaron Acevedo

During Pittcon 2025, which was held from March 2–5 in Boston, Massachusetts, LCGC International awarded Christopher Pohl and Katelynn Perrault Uptmor with the Lifetime Achievement in Chromatography Award and Emerging Leader in Chromatography award, respectively. Pohl is known for his significant contributions to chromatography, especially in the field of ion chromatography. His work includes innovations in stationary phases, detection technologies, and sample preparation methods. Perrault Uptmor is a professor at the College of William & Mary, where she is the principal investigator of the Nontargeted Separations Laboratory. As part of our Pittcon coverage, we interviewed Pohl and Perrault about their award wins, what they mean to them, and what knowledge they want to impart upon the next generation of separation scientists.

Separation Science Companies Confront New Uncertainties in 2025

Caroline Hroncich

Chromatography instrument manufacturers are navigating uncertainty driven by rising tariffs and political instability, yet many companies continue to find growth opportunities in industries like pharma and biotech. Breakthroughs in proteomics and metabolomics, for example, have spurred a growing demand for advanced chromatography instruments essential for complex analyses. In this article, we talk about what factors are driving changes in the chromatography industry, and what they may mean for producers and consumers.