Bioanalysis Rising Star Award 2024: the judges

We are thrilled to announce the judging panel for the Bioanalysis Rising Star Award (formerly the New Investigator Award). Each judge is a leading expert in the bioanalytical community and we are delighted they are sharing their knowledge and expertise to help make this year’s award extra special!

Back to the 2024 Bioanalysis Rising Star Award

Robert Plumb
Director Metabolic Phenotyping, Health Sciences
Waters Corporation (MA, USA)

Dr Robert Plumb is the Director of Omics and Small Molecule Pharma in the Waters scientific operations division, responsible for the development of new approaches to DMPK, proteomics lipidomics and metabolomics. Prior to his current position, he was a part of GSK (London, UK) for 15 years in the areas of bioanalysis, drug metabolism and metabolic profiling. Dr Plumb has published over 100 peer reviewed papers on the subject of HPLC/MS and NMR for bioanalysis, metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolite identification. He is an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University (Perth, Australia) and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2014, he was awarded Highly Cited Researcher by Thompson Reuters (Toronto, Canada).

Neil Spooner
Director and Founder of Spooner Bioanalytical Solutions (Hertford, UK)

Neil is the Founder of Spooner Bioanalytical Solutions, helping companies to integrate biological fluid microsampling and patient centric sampling as well as analysis into workflows. He also works with organizations to develop technologies and introduce them to the market. Neil also assists organizations with their understanding of emerging trends in the pharmaceutical industry and bioanalysis. Neil is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire (Hertfordshire, UK), Editor in Chief of Bioanalysis Journal, Founder of the Patient Centric Sampling Interest Group and Co-Chair of the Reid Bioanalytical Forum. He has published over 70 peer reviewed manuscripts and delivered over 50 podium presentations.

Marianne Scheel Fjording
CEO and Founder of Biolyzr (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Marianne Scheel Fjording, MSc, PhD, is the CEO and founder of Biolyzr, an independent consultant company specializing in bioanalysis excellence. The consultancy covers all aspects of bioanalytical activities, including bioanalytical strategy, project scoping and management, audits, compliance as well as CRO selection and monitoring.

Prior to founding Biolyzr, Marianne was Scientific Director at Novo Nordisk and Scientific Officer and Executive Director at BioAgilytix (both Copenhagen, Denmark), where she worked with regulated bioanalytical assay validation. Her experience is within large molecules and immunoassays. Marianne was a member of the Expert working group (EWG) for the newly implemented ICH M10 guideline as a representative for PhRMA. Marianne has been active in the EBF as a member and part of the steering committee and the organizing committee for workshops and annual symposiums. Marianne has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry from Copenhagen University (Denmark), a PhD in intracellular signaling and more than 25 years of experience within pharmaceutical companies.

Shivangi Awasthi
Associate Principal Scientist 
Merck & Co., Inc (known as MSD outside of the US; PA, USA)
2023 BRSA winner

Shivangi Awasthi serves as an Associate Principal Scientist within the Regulated Bioanalysis group at Merck & Co., Inc. Her primary research focus is the development of sensitive and selective LC–MS methods for precise PK measurements to inform drug exposure, safety and dose selection, thereby driving the efforts to provide life-saving medicines globally.