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The Hidden "Me" in Team

As we prepare to celebrate 100 issues of The Analytical Scientist, we recognize that we couldn’t have done it without you. “Me?” you ask. Yes, you.

By Rich Whitworth, James Strachan, Frank van Geel, Lauren Robertson 09/10/2021 1 min read

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Some of us – and hopefully a good many of you – can remember Issue #01 of The Analytical Scientist...

Thank you to the pioneering contributors and interviewees in our inaugural issue: Samuel Kounaves, Ian Jardine, Caroline West, Luigi Mondello, Peter Tranchida,  Norman Dovichi, Amanda Hummon, Barbara Bojko, Janusz Pawliszyn, Alun Cole, Liz Woolfenden, Marco Koenen, Eric Yeatman, Terry Berger, Razi Imam, Hans Versnel, Willem van Raalte, and Fasha Mahjoor. 

And thank you to our first commercial partners: AkzoNobel, Tosoh, Thermo (Fisher) Scientific, Shimadzu, Leco, Markes International, HPLC (2013!), Pittcon (2013!), and PSS.

January 2013 seems like a very long time ago now – possibly because some of us have been intimately involved in the 98 issues of The Analytical Scientist that followed. Apologies, but we don’t have the space to name all those who contributed editorially or commercially to issues 2–98 – but our eternal thanks is yours. 

We launched The Analytical Scientist with a bold mission: to record, scrutinize, and celebrate all endeavors in the analytical sciences. And we’ve been doing it ever since. How? By listening to as many of you as possible; by seeking out the opinions of (vocal) leaders in the field; by keeping our ears to the ground for the latest challenges; and by keeping our eyes open to the future. Having dedicated over 5000 pages to a very special bunch of scientists, we can honestly say that we could not have done it without you.

And so, if Rich Whitworth ever states (undoubtedly, tongue in cheek): “It was all me” – you have our permission to knowingly smile or tut-tut. Equally, as you become familiar with a new face at The Analytical Scientist – a big welcome to Editor James Strachan – you can rest assured that it’s not all him either.

Next month, we look forward to welcoming everyone to our 100th issue, which we hope will be a true celebration of analytical scientists everywhere. In particular, we’ll pay tribute to 100 individuals in The Power List – all of whom would say, if asked, that they could not have done it alone, before genuinely acknowledging the great efforts of their own excellent teams.

And so, though we can unequivocally agree that there is no “I” in team, there are plenty of you(s).

Best wishes,

Team TAS!

About the Author(s)

Rich Whitworth

Rich Whitworth completed his studies in medical biochemistry at the University of Leicester, UK, in 1998. To cut a long story short, he escaped to Tokyo to spend five years working for the largest English language publisher in Japan. "Carving out a career in the megalopolis that is Tokyo changed my outlook forever. When seeing life through such a kaleidoscopic lens, it's hard not to get truly caught up in the moment." On returning to the UK, after a few false starts with grey, corporate publishers, Rich was snapped up by Texere Publishing, where he spearheaded the editorial development of The Analytical Scientist. "I feel honored to be part of the close-knit team that forged The Analytical Scientist – we've created a very fresh and forward-thinking publication." Rich is now also Content Director of Texere Publishing, the company behind The Analytical Scientist.

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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.

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Frank van Geel

Frank van Geel is owner of educational website Chromedia and Scientific Director of The Analytical Scientist. He studied analytical chemistry, specialized in mass spectrometry in the Netherlands and did several years of post-doc work in spectroscopy with Jim Winefordner at the University of Florida in the US. Then he became a science teacher and later publisher in chemistry and physics related topics. He developed numerous publications in chemistry and other sciences. He strongly supports the mission: Building online communities is the road to take. We need to strengthen the quality of analytical chemistry and we need to strengthen our community by sharing know-how and by sharing our opinions, visions and our views of the future of analytical science.

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Lauren Robertson

By the time I finished my degree in Microbiology I had come to one conclusion – I did not want to work in a lab. Instead, I decided to move to the south of Spain to teach English. After two brilliant years, I realized that I missed science, and what I really enjoyed was communicating scientific ideas – whether that be to four-year-olds or mature professionals. On returning to England I landed a role in science writing and found it combined my passions perfectly. Now at Texere, I get to hone these skills every day by writing about the latest research in an exciting, creative way.

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