Chris Pohl

Vice President, Chromatography Chemistry, Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA.

Most exciting current project
I’m working on a new anion exchange synthesis method that produces extraordinary selectivity for ions of different net charge. At this stage, I am exploring the range of possibilities to see if we can make a material that will not retain ions unless they are monovalent.

Technology breakthroughs
The advance that I find most exciting is the recent development of pillar array technology. For the first time, it appears possible to develop chromatographic structures with independent control of both feature size and permeability, which opens the possibility of using exceedingly long columns with acceptable backpressure.

Nominator comment: “Ion chromatography would not have developed as the versatile technique we know without Chris’s contributions. He has a huge number of patents, almost all of which are being used.”

Part of the Power List 2017

The Magnificent Tens
After 2016’s celebration of women in analytical science, we return to the Top 100 for 2017.
But there’s a twist. This summer, we asked you to nominate scientists in ten categories – from the stars of separation science, to omics explorers, to the mentors training the next generation.

Go to The Power List 2017