Ken Broeckhoven
The Power List 2014
Ken Broeckhoven
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
Calling: “I’ve always been interested in science and technology – not very surprising with two science teachers as parents. Going into research always seemed the most interesting and obvious choice for me.”
Regret: “No. In hindsight you would always do some things differently, but through your mistakes you learn the most valuable lessons.”
Emphasis: “I work on the investigation, development and characterization of novel ultra-high performance chromatographic techniques, both in liquid and supercritical phase.”
Triumph: “Developing our own liquid chromatography instrument capable of operating narrow bore columns (2.1mm) at pressures up to 2600 bar.”
Respect: “Uwe Neue – his contributions to the field of chromatography and his ability to provide critical, but constructive feedback. He was able to combine a demanding job in industry, with high-level scientific work and publications. I still use several of his publications as reference material.
Gert Desmet – he instilled me with a love for the field and taught me so much regarding the theory of chromatography. His inspiration and support still help me tremendously today and will very likely continue to do so in the future.”
Hope: “To continue building and expanding my own research group, sharing my knowledge and experience with young researchers, and overall contribute to the further development of analytical science.”
Prediction: “The further development of multidimensional chromatographic techniques so they can be used in routine analysis of complex samples.”
Advice: “Never forget the fundamentals! If your results appear odd, investigate; the results you don't expect are often the most interesting.”
