Winner: Andreas Manz.
This year the prestigious Martin medal has been awarded to Professor Andreas Manz from the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg.
Andreas Manz is one of the pioneers in microchip technology used for chemical applications. He was involved in the development of high speed analysers based on capillary electrophoresis, liquid chromatography and flow injection analysis. These analysers are based on the microfabrication processes originally developed for microelectronics. He conducted most of his early research with his group at Ciba-Geigy Ltd. in Basel, Switzerland, then at Imperial College in London, United Kingdom, and finally, at ISAS – the Institute for Analytical Sciences, Dortmund Germany.
He developed a novel concept for Miniaturized Total Analysis Systems (µ-TAS), which involves sampling, sample pretreatment, separation, and detection performed in an integrated microsystem, with a chemical parameter (for example, the concentration of a compound) that is periodically transformed into an electronic or an optical signal. Such a system is in fact a hybrid which offers the advantages of a sophisticated analysis system within the size of a chemical sensor. He has published over 220 papers in scientific journals, which are cited over 11,000 times. In addition, he is the inventor in 39 patents.
He was the Founding Member and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the journal “Lab on a Chip” published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. He was a founding member and member of the board of the annual international conference “micro TAS”. He was also involved in several start-up companies, including Caliper, Casect, Sensory Design & Technology, Predicant Biosciences, SpinX, Ambrigen and Genetic Microdevices.
Professor Manz has been recognised of his contributions on many previous occasions and some of his more notable awards include;
1998 Theophilus Redwood Lecturership of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 1996 H.E. Merck Award for Analytical Chemistry (Merck, Germany), and in 2003 the M.J.E. Golay Award.
Within the field of microchip technology, Professor Manz has been the leading researcher for many years and many of his students and collaborators have progressed into positions of seniority within this field due to his guidance. It is therefore with great delight that The Chromatographic Society awards the 2017 Martin Medal to Professor Andreas Manz. Professor Manz will receive his award at the International Conference on HPLC in Prague in June 2017.
