My main interest is in Separation Science and its application in bio-pharmaceutical-toxicological and clinical analysis. My future research will mainly focus on the development and/or application of new analytical methods in the above fields. Incorporating techniques used in other research areas can prove a main goal for this objective. I am personally convinced that evolution and development in these fast growing areas, can only be achieved when many disciplines and expertise are involved. Therefore I find it useful to co-operate or just communicate with scientists of other fields.To be more specific, in the coming years I plan to go deeper in Sample Preparation Techniques (Solid Phase Extraction, Immunoaffinity Extraction etc.). I am interested in trying to bring more selectivity by using specially developed phases (e.g. restricted access particles) or by coupling biospecific interactions (utilising antibodies-enzymes- molecular imprinted molecules). This coupling I plan to use preferably prior to the main separation technique (i.e. in sample pretreatment). I find this approach more advantageous and practical, although biospecific detection offers many many benefits.

A second direction would the application of Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and the development of new specialty coatings. I really believe that SPME has tremendous impact for sample pretreatment and can change the way that many labs work. Moreover SPME seems able to cope with the continuous miniaturisation trend (on chip analysis, single molecular detection etc.). Coupling with SPME with micro-LC or CE can prove a powerful tool in bio analysis.

Coupling/hyphenated techniques (LC-MS, LC-NMR, LC-ICP, automated SPE) and characterisation of HPLC stationary phases are also in my interest.

Lately I am more and more interested in Mass Spectrometry and especially on the application of MALDI-TOF in the analysis of biopolymers.