Lazy grafoman. Analytical chemist. Amateur photographer. Occasional traveler. Wannabe entertainer. Boring moralist.
And here also chromatographer ;-)
I have been working in the field of liquid separation techniques, as well as, preparation and characterization of stationary phases for these techniques, since the year 2000. Organic polymer monoliths, their hydrodynamic properties, and application in various modes of liquid chromatography represent the main focus of my research at University of Pardubice, Czech Republic.
During my Ph.D. in the group of Prof. Pavel Jandera at University of Pardubice, Czech Republic, I spent several months in the labs of respected and established scientists, including Prof. M. Cooke at Royall Holloway, University of London, U.K., Dr. H. Claessens and Prof. C. Koning, Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Prof. P. Schoenmakers, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Dr. D. Thiébaut, ESPCI, Paris, France, where I extended my experience and experimental skills with several analytical techniques including various chromatographic techniques, MALDI mass spectrometry, supercritical fluid chromatography hyphenated to sulfur chemiluminescence detection.
These months gave me unprecedented knowledge, experience, and skills which would be very difficult (or almost impossible) to obtain at one research institution or group only.
In order to expand my knowledge about preparation and characterization of polymer-based monolithic stationary phases I decided to take a two-year post-doctoral position in the group of Prof. Jean M. J. Fréchet and Dr. Frantisek Svec at the University of California, Berkeley, which is the leading laboratory in the field of the monolithic stationary phases.
I am a co-author of the first three publications about hypercrosslinked monolithic columns and their use as media for separation of small molecules. I have hyphenated monolithic capillary columns with remote NMR detection to monitor both fast separation of small molecules and flow profile of the mobile phase thorough the monolith. I have also prepared monolithic enzymatic reactor with immobilized lipase for biodiesel synthesis.
Experience and results acquired in Berkeley were used as the starting point in continuous research here at University of Pardubice, Czech Republic.