Celebrating Excellence in Chemistry: Metrohm USA Celebrates 11th Annual Winner

Manish Samson has been named the recipient of the 2023 Young Chemist Award by Metrohm USA. Currently an undergraduate student in the Department of Bioengineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, he conducts research under Dr Shalini Prasad in the Biomedical Microdevices and Nanotechnology Laboratory. Manish's work is centred around the creation of electrochemical biosensors that are portable and capable of detecting environmental contaminants, including pesticides, in field conditions.

As regulations on food safety become more stringent and consumers increasingly demand healthy and safe products, the detection of pesticides and genetically modified organism (GMO) proteins in food has become a crucial issue. Additionally, with the growing use of pesticides and GMOs in crop production to improve yields, it has become more important than ever to develop practical, field-deployable methods for detecting these contaminants. However, the complexity of most current analytical methods makes it difficult to adapt them for use by the general public.

To make food testing more accessible and user-friendly, Manish's research focuses on creating a portable analytical screening system that can detect multiple pesticides and GMO proteins in food samples with high efficiency. The goal is to bridge the gap between laboratory testing and consumer use by developing a simple, easy-to-use biosensor that does not require technical expertise. choices about the products they consume.

“Out of all the participants this year, Manish most convincingly presented the importance of his research and the significance of his results,” said Scott Segro, Senior Scientist at Metrohm USA and part of the selection committee.

Manish will be presented with the $10,000 Young Chemist Award at Metrohm USA's headquarters in May. During the event, he will give a brief presentation on his research work and participate in a Q&A session. A video of the presentation and discussion will be made available to the public after the event.

For the past 11 years, Metrohm USA has been awarding the Young Chemist Award to recognise novel research in the fields of titration, ion chromatography, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry. The award is open to all undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and doctoral students who are currently studying and residing in the United States or Canada.

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