Conexiant
Login
  • The Analytical Scientist
  • The Cannabis Scientist
  • The Medicine Maker
  • The Ophthalmologist
  • The Pathologist
  • The Traditional Scientist
The Analytical Scientist
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Latest
    • News & Research
    • Trends & Challenges
    • Keynote Interviews
    • Opinion & Personal Narratives
    • Product Profiles
    • App Notes

    Featured Topics

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy

    Issues

    • Latest Issue
    • Archive
  • Topics

    Techniques & Tools

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy
    • Microscopy
    • Sensors
    • Data and AI

    • View All Topics

    Applications & Fields

    • Clinical
    • Environmental
    • Food, Beverage & Agriculture
    • Pharma and Biopharma
    • Omics
    • Forensics
  • People & Profiles

    People & Profiles

    • Power List
    • Voices in the Community
    • Sitting Down With
    • Authors & Contributors
  • Business & Education

    Business & Education

    • Innovation
    • Business & Entrepreneurship
    • Career Pathways
  • Events
    • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Multimedia
    • Video
Subscribe
Subscribe

False

The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2022 / Dec / Will You Play Upon This HPLC?
Career Pathways

Will You Play Upon This HPLC?

Are new analytical “instruments” becoming more like smart phones?

By James Strachan 12/09/2022 1 min read

Share

If you were to hand me a guitar, I’d happily pluck the strings and make some noise, but I couldn’t command them to any utterance of harmony – as Shakespeare put it. Similarly, I could push a few buttons on a HPLC – perhaps even get it to run – but extracting information is another matter entirely. But the first time I used an iPhone, I quickly figured out how to make calls, browse the internet, or stream a movie. And that’s why HPLC systems (and not iPhones) are referred to as “instruments” – a true master can extract a magnum opus, and there’s a certain level of expertise required to use them at all. But for how long?  

I recently asked a number of people from our 2022 Power List for an opinion with which the rest of the field might disagree. Michael Marty, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, USA, discussed the offense often caused when analytical instruments are referred to as machines. “My controversial opinion is that I don’t really care,” he said. “I’d be confused if you called a guitar a machine, but I wouldn’t correct you for calling an HPLC a machine.” I wondered whether Micheal’s point is reflective of a wider trend. Namely, are analytical “instruments” becoming less like guitars and more like iPhones – “smart devices” that any novice can pick up and play? And if so, where does that leave the analytical scientist?

Admittedly, this trend is not new – and there are certain advantages to opening up analytical techniques to many more researchers, with sensors and portable devices. But there’s a big gap between the cutting edge and the truly accessible – and this middle ground must not become an open but confused playing field.

Education is key. But as Gert Desmet and Deirdre Cabooter discuss here, some universities are in danger of focusing too heavily on chromatography application at the expense of chromatography fundamentals. Could this leave students ill-equipped to tackle new problems, to adopt the latest tools and techniques, or to become instrument innovators in their own right?

If this year’s Innovation Awards (see here) are anything to go by, the cutting (or bleeding) edge will always deliver exciting but, almost by definition, less mature instruments and technologies. Will the next generation of analytical scientists have the skills and knowledge to apply – and, perhaps more importantly, critically assess – these new tools?

One thing’s for certain, I couldn’t command any of this year’s Innovation Award winners to any utterance of harmony – so we are firmly in instrument territory!

Newsletters

Receive the latest analytical science news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.

Newsletter Signup Image

About the Author(s)

James Strachan

Over the course of my Biomedical Sciences degree it dawned on me that my goal of becoming a scientist didn’t quite mesh with my lack of affinity for lab work. Thinking on my decision to pursue biology rather than English at age 15 – despite an aptitude for the latter – I realized that science writing was a way to combine what I loved with what I was good at. From there I set out to gather as much freelancing experience as I could, spending 2 years developing scientific content for International Innovation, before completing an MSc in Science Communication. After gaining invaluable experience in supporting the communications efforts of CERN and IN-PART, I joined Texere – where I am focused on producing consistently engaging, cutting-edge and innovative content for our specialist audiences around the world.

More Articles by James Strachan

False

Advertisement

Recommended

False

Related Content

Sitting Down With… The Past: Marja-Liisa Riekkola
Career Pathways
Sitting Down With… The Past: Marja-Liisa Riekkola

December 6, 2024

1 min read

We dive into the archive of 2014 for insight and inspiration – this time with Marja-Liisa Riekkola

How to Succeed in Commercial Innovation
Career Pathways
How to Succeed in Commercial Innovation

December 12, 2024

4 min read

Sell your story, stay alert, be careful who you hire, and focus intensely on execution

Musings from The Power List: Konstantin Shoykhet
Career Pathways
Musings from The Power List: Konstantin Shoykhet

December 18, 2024

4 min read

Konstantin Shoykhet, Agilent, talks about exciting developments in liquid chromatography, big challenges, and instrument accessibility

Could AI Ever Replace The Analytical Scientist?
Career Pathways
Could AI Ever Replace The Analytical Scientist?

December 18, 2024

1 min read

Working closely with an ever-expanding network of experts helps keep our content relevant and engaging. And keeps artificial intelligence at bay, right?!

False

The Analytical Scientist
Subscribe

About

  • About Us
  • Work at Conexiant Europe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Texere Publishing Limited (trading as Conexiant), with registered number 08113419 whose registered office is at Booths No. 1, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, England, WA16 8GS.