Dr Tatiana Komarova

Dr Tatiana Komarova has extensive experience in analytical, inorganic and environmental chemistry analysing water, soil, sediment and biological samples using different analytical methods and techniques: ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Flow-Injection Analysis, passive sampling techniques and others, in conjunction with research related studies.

Dr Komarova graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russian Federation) with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 1992. In 1996-1997 she undertook Postdoctoral Fellow study on the improvement of drinking water treatment procedure at water treatment plants for a Research Course at the Department of Chemistry, The University of Queensland.  From 2002-2009 Dr Komarova worked at QAEHS (former EnTox-the National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology) and participated in research consultancy projects related to the application and development of passive sampling techniques for monitoring organic pollutants in the environment.

Since 2009, Dr Tatiana Komarova has worked at Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services (QHFSS), Inorganic Chemistry laboratory. As Principal Researcher and supervisor of different projects her focus has been on the development and application of new methods using advanced analytical instruments and techniques (the Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT) technique and Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS, including direct isotope measurements). She has established research co operations with a number of research institutions at the University of Queensland, University of NSW, Kazan Federal University and St. Petersburg State Hydrological Institute (Russia), Khon Kaen University (Thailand), the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research of Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and University of Girona (Spain). Dr Komarova has been a member of QHFSS Research and Development/ Scientific Review Panel since 2015.

Current research projects being undertaken by Dr Tatiana Komarova are:  

• Application of the Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS for the analysis of nanoparticles in environmental and food samples.
• Analysis of trace and rare earth elements in human blood for establishment of reference ranges in Queensland using ICP-MS techniques.

• Evaluation of rare earth and heavy metals transfer, including mercury, from soil to water due to agriculture and mining activities in the Burdekin River catchment.
• Development of new methods on Triple Quadrupole 8800 ICP-QQQ – seawater analysis, rear-earth element analysis, lead isotopes ratio analysis - their validation and implementation.

Dr Komarova is working closely with Professor Jack Ng in building collaborative studies involving the measurement of trace elements, metal-nanoparticles, isotope ratios, and rare earth elements in the food chain. Their research is aimed at the identification of the sources of contamination of the environment with these metals with the following environmental and human health risk assessment of the polluted areas, by using the advanced analytical facilities at QHFSS.