Our researchers, Professor Kevin Thomas, Dr Cassie Rauert and Dr Jake O’Brien were joined by HDR students, Tobias Hulleman, Ruvini Weerasinghe, Simran Kaur, Laura Puente, Lily Pan, Honglin Chen and Jinglong Li at the International Mass Spectrometry conference in Melbourne, Victoria in late August.
The PhD students were enthusiastic about attending the conference, for some it was the first international conference they had attended since commencing their PhD. Student Ruvini Weerasinghe commented that “presenting my very first poster at IMSC 2024 was a key moment in my PhD journey.”
First year PhD student Tobias Hulleman observed that “the overall quality of presentations was very good, there was a nice mix of experienced scientists and early career PhD students presenting. I talked to a lot of people after their presentations and connected with them for possible collaborations and was invited to visit the University of Luxemburg. The poster sessions were the highlight of the conference for me. This was a good opportunity to really talk to people and ask about their research and you can tell that people are passionate about their posters. Presenting my own poser, I received a good number of interested people and had some good discussions.”
Honglin Chen, PhD student, also enjoyed the conference stating: “It was a pleasure to attend the IMSC 2024 conference. The conference included talks on various topics, which allowed me to learn about the latest research across different fields and expand my knowledge of analytical techniques. There were also workshops covering different subjects. One of the workshops I attended was the career workshop, where professionals shared their experiences in finding career paths. I found that it was informative and enlightening. During the poster session, I presented my current project and interacted with researchers from diverse backgrounds. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to network with researchers from around the world.”
Prof Thomas gave a keynote presentation on the Advancements and Challenges in Mass Spectrometric Techniques for Comprehensive Environmental Analysis, while other research presentations included:
- Dr Cassie Rauert presented Quantitative analysis of micro- and nanoplastics in environmental samples by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry
- Laura Puente presented Micro and nanoplastic migration from plastic breast milk storage bags and storage bottles
- Simran Kaur presented From Tyres to Tides: Investigating Tyre Additive Chemicals in the Moreton Bay Catchment, Queensland
With research posters, displayed by:
- Dr Jake O’Brien: Modular open-access and open-source Julia HRMS toolbox
- Honglin Chen: Investigating matrix interference from analysing nanoplastics and microplastics in spleen samples by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
- Jinglong Li: National Reconnaissance of Antimicrobial Occurrence in Australian Wastewater and their Socioeconomic Correlates
- Tobias Hulleman: Critical Assessment of the Chemical Space Covered by LC–HRMS Non-Targeted Analysis
- Ruvini Weerasinghe: Identification and quantification of halogenated polymers by pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
- Lily Pan: Assessing the potential for micro/nano plastics (MNPs) to cross human biological barriers
Simran Kaur, PhD student, commented: “IMSC 2024 was a great conference where experts shared innovative uses of mass spectrometry across diverse fields. It was inspiring to see the breadth of applications and connect with others passionate about advancing the field."
Lily Pan, PhD student, reported: “The IMSC was the first international conference I attended, it was an invaluable experience being able to discuss my project with researchers from around the world and receive feedback during the poster session. I also listened to a range of interesting talks and there were a lot of presentation skills to learn from.”
Laura Puente, PhD student, stated: “Attending IMSC was a great opportunity because it was my first time having an oral presentation in an international conference. Also, having the opportunity to attend a variety of talks from fellow researchers was very insightful as they showcased what is currently happening in the mass spectrometry field.”
Student Jinglong Li remarked on his attendance that: “The event was a whirlwind of fascinating presentations and discussions about the latest developments and applications in mass spectrometry. It was incredible to see the breadth of research in the field; there were so many talks that it was almost overwhelming, but in the best way possible. The conference was not only a great learning experience but also an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with peers and experts in the industry. I was particularly excited to see Koichi Tanaka, the 2022 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, who was one of the invited speakers. That was definitely the closest I've ever been to a Nobel Prize winner—what a thrill! I also had the opportunity to present my own research during a poster session, which was a great way to share my work and get feedback from colleagues in the field. Overall, it was an incredibly enriching and enjoyable experience, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!”
