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Michael Laemmerhofer

Professor, Pharmaceutical Analysis and Bioanalysis, University of Tuebingen, Germany.

Most important lesson Research demands hard work, persistence, and stern discipline to pave the way for success. In this endeavor, ambition to make small achievements represents a useful motor.

Encounters with serendipity In biomarker analysis, serendipity happens all the time; molecules that you weren’t looking for often pop up. The hope is always that they are real biomarkers, not just artifacts – and they can be validated as such.

Funniest/most unexpected moment The most unexpected and intriguing finding in my scientific career was the discovery of plasmid DNA topoisomer selectivity of quinine carbamates in our group. It still surprises me how a small molecular ligand can distinguish macromolecular pDNA. The exceptional selectivity of molecular recognition surprises me again and again – it really is the key to life.

Eye on the horizon I will focus more on bioanalytical applications. And functionalized separation materials will continue to be a major topic of interest.

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Part of the Power List 2015

100 reasons to be proud

Welcome to The Power List 2015 – our second foray into the Top 100 most influential people in the world of analytical science. Though we realize our list can (and should) never be definitive, who can argue that the faces within – both familiar and new – do not beautifully highlight the brilliance and diversity found within our sometimes undervalued field?

Go to The Power List 2015