Michael Witting

Meet Michael Witting

Analytical science is everywhere, often hidden from people and other scientists. It influences the life of any scientist: Laboratory tests to diagnose diseases, water cleanliness, and checking for forbidden substances in food. This is all possible thanks to analytical science. So why is it not as prominent as it should or has to be?

(Most) Analytical scientists I have met so far in my career are humble, often stating that they have done their part in the project and it was a pleasure to collaborate with other scientists. Therefore, they usually see themselves or are pushed into a service role, analyzing samples for others, either customers or academic collaboration partners. Another reason analytical scientists often find themselves in support roles might be that we're typically more focused on developing methods and instrumentation for measurement rather than for discovery. Over time, that's led to a kind of typecasting: analytical scientists are seen as supporters rather than leaders. And since many projects aren't incentivized to push beyond existing measurement technologies, innovation on the side of analytical development can feel underappreciated. When analytical scientists aim for the spotlight, it often means developing niche methods, but these approaches are rarely adopted widely, which can limit their overall impact – even if they’ll be the next big thing in the future.

There needs to be a change in how the support roles are viewed. No scientific advancement would be possible without developing novel and improved (and sometimes disruptive) analytical technologies. Analytical science is the bedrock where all great discoveries stand. Without the relentless work of analytical scientists to push the boundaries of what can be analyzed, major discoveries could not have been made.

Analytical scientists need to step out of their shadow position as service providers and claim their spot. Their work moves science from "guesswork" to measurement. Analytical science and the people living and breathing it enable other scientists to generate new hypotheses and refine or reject them. This is the keystone of all good science: not guessing but measuring!

Maybe it is time to be less humble and claim our spot. Renaming from analytical science to “enabling science” would be a significant step because this is what analytical science does: enabling others to see and measure things that have not been measured so far.