Best of the Week: Waters Executives Discuss Goals for 2025, Inside the Laboratory, North Carolina PFAST Network

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on trending topics in separation science. 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!

Waters Executives Discuss Growth, Goals for 2025

Aaron Acevedo

On Wednesday, March 5, Waters Corporation held its 2025 Investor Day in New York, New York. The event featured presentations by members of the Waters’ senior management team, who discussed the company’s growth, new strategic priorities, and its focus moving into 2025. Rob Carpio, senior vice president of Waters, described the company’s objectives with three tenets of growth: embed execution excellence, deliver pioneering innovation, and scale position in high-growth areas. Additionally, Udi Batra, president and CEO of Waters, discusses a four-part plan that the company’s growth stems from.

Agilent Reports Financial Results from Q1 of 2025

Aaron Acevedo

On February 26, 2025, Agilent Technologies released financial results from first-quarter fiscal year 2025, which ended in January (1). For the first quarter of 2025, the company reported $1.68 billion in revenue at a 25.1% operating margin. The company’s revenue was spread across the world with 40% coming from the Americas, 27% from Europe, and 33% from the Asia-Pacific region. The company’s finances were also divided between its various divisions. Padraig McDonnell, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Agilent, said the company exceeded expectations for core revenue growth and earnings per second (EPS) (1). The company has been working on multiple strategies for growth, including strategic price setting, improving digital ecosystem, and identifying procurement opportunities.

Pittcon 2025: Kate Perrault Uptmor Talks About Multidimensional GC and Mentorship

Will Wetzel

During Pittcon 2025, Katelynn Perrault Uptmor, an assistant professor of chemistry at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, was presented with the 2025 Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award. As part of the awards symposium, Perrault Uptmor delivered a talk in the second half of the symposium titled, “Retroactive Curiosity Within Your Data: Asking Your Multidimensional Gas Chromatographic Samples Different Questions.” Her presentation highlighted the capabilities of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC–TOF-MS) in extracting deeper insights from complex samples. During our entire interview with Perrault Uptmor, we asked her about the resources available for those interested in learning more about multidimensional chromatography, and current trends happening in separation science that are of note.

Previewing The Series on the North Carolina PFAST Network

Will Wetzel

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in various industrial and consumer products because of their resistance to heat, water, and oil (1). Found in nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, firefighting foams, and food packaging, PFAS persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms, leading to widespread contamination of water, soil, and air (2). Because they do not easily degrade, these chemicals pose significant environmental and health risks. An upcoming multi-day news series will highlight the work being conducted by the North Carolina PFAS Testing (PFAST) Network to mitigate the effects of PFAS in the environment. The North Carolina PFAS Testing Network is a collaborative statewide research study comprised of leading researchers from North Carolina laboratories that are working together to better understand the extent of the PFAS issue in North Carolina.

Inside the Laboratory: Mei Sun at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Will Wetzel

Currently, one of the biggest concerns among North Carolina researchers is the impact that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are having on the environment. This shared concern led to the creation of the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network, which is a consortium of researchers that are working collaboratively with one another to study and mitigate the effects of PFAS in North Carolina. As part of our series covering the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network, in this video interview, we sat down with Mei Sun, who is an associate professor at UNC Charlotte. Sun focuses much of her research on sustainable water treatment and reuse. Her work concentrates on the water-energy nexus, utilizing water chemistry, electrochemistry, catalytic chemistry, and biogeochemistry. We asked Sun about her work with the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network, what strategies show the most promise for large-scale environmental cleanup, and how regulations on PFAS are influencing research priorities and mitigation technologies.