Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory Selected as Waters Center of Innovation

Waters Corporation has recognized the Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil as a Waters Center of Innovation.

The Thomson Laboratory, under the directorship of Dr. Marcos Eberlin, is the first mass spectrometry laboratory in Latin America to receive such a designation.

At a campus ceremony attended by students, faculty, Prof. Dr. Watson Loh, Director, Institute of Chemistry, UNICAMP and Roberto de Alencar Lotufo, Executive Director of INOVA, the university's office of innovation and technology licensing, Tim Riley, Waters Centers of Innovation Program Director, lauded Prof. Eberlin for his achievements.

"The Thomson Laboratory is the most prestigious mass spectrometry laboratory in all of Latin America," he said.

"Professor Eberlin's contributions in the field of mass spectrometry are impressive and his enthusiasm for the subject and his passion for passing along his knowledge to his students are truly amazing. It is indeed an honor to be associated with him and his laboratory."

"Today we are celebrating a milestone for mass spectrometry in Brazil. It's been an honor for a laboratory in Brazil to be chosen a Waters Center of Innovation," said Dr. Eberlin.

Dr. Eberlin continued, "The pioneering professors and students of the Institute of Chemistry deserve the credit for laying the groundwork that made it possible to be where we are today. We are no longer playing catch-up, we are innovating in mass spectrometry. And we are getting access to new techniques before they are commercialized. It's not enough to have great ideas; you have to have the right instrumentation and have access to it before others do."

Of the honor bestowed on the Thomson Laboratory by Waters, Dr. Eberlin said, "There's nothing better than to have our hard, pioneering work recognized. We're really proud that our efforts are worthy of this honor and to be selected for Waters Centers of Innovation Program. And I thank God for opening the doors that led to such an honor."

As an educator, Dr. Eberlin has supervised a new generation of Brazilian mass spectrometrists, now numbering over 100, employed as researchers and professionals at many institutions and companies in Brazil and throughout South America, the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Directing one of the world's largest mass spectrometry research teams, Prof. Eberlin now oversees the research of 45 students and employees who publish close to 60 manuscripts per year.

His laboratory is pioneering mass spectrometry research in ambient mass spectrometry, proteomics and peptidomics, lipidomics, MS imaging, bacteria and microorganism fingerprinting, petroleomics, MS of ionic liquids and MS fingerprinting for forensic investigations.

Prof. Eberlin has published close to 500 papers which have been cited more than 7,000 times. The quality and relevance of his scientific work is recognized throughout the world.

Prof. Eberlin is active in championing mass spectrometry not only in Brazil but across the world. He is co-founder and President of the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation.

In 2004 he was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Science, and nominated in 2006 to the prestigious Brazilian Order of Scientific Merit.

He serves as a member of the editorial advisory board of several MS-related journals including Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Mass Spectrometry Reviews, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Analytical Chemistry and Analyst.

He is also associate editor of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal RSC Advances and the Journal of Mass Spectrometry.

A tireless organizer, Prof. Eberlin is co-founder and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the 1,800-member strong Brazilian Mass Spectrometry Society (BrMASS), for which he is Vice President. Its annual meeting is now attended by more than 1,000 scientists, placing it among the top MS conferences in the world.

The Thomson Laboratory currently uses, among others, a Waters® Synapt® High Definition Mass Spectrometer in support of its research.