A Field Full of Opportunities: Transforming the Future of Separation Science

Abstract

A Field Full of Opportunities: Transforming the Future of Separation Science August 1, 2022 Jared L. Anderson LCGC North America, August 2022, Volume 40, Issue 8 Pages: 354–356 For four decades, LCGC has served to keep the field connected with new innovations and exciting product lines while concurrently educating new generations of scientists entering the field. Celebration of the 40th anniversary of LCGC allows us to reflect on future opportunities within the field of separation science. Innovations in separation science continue to be driven by important breakthroughs in speed, selectivity, and resolution. Meanwhile, the field of separation science is being advanced by tremendous discoveries in the fields of mass spectrometry (MS) and sample preparation. A recent consensus study report by the National Academies of Sciences offered recommendations to improve the field of separations. Collaborative opportunities with scientists in other fields, such as material science, spectroscopy, and chemical engineering, will serve to address important challenges and advance discoveries in three-dimensional (3D) printing, stationary phase development, and sustainable separation platforms. The recruitment of young, talented entrepreneurs within academia and industry is needed to tackle many of the challenges that exist today and that will emerge tomorrow.