Bioanalysis Rising Star Award 2021: the judges

We are thrilled to announce the judging panel for the Bioanalysis Rising Star Award (formly 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 2021 Bioanalysis Rising Star Award

Nikunj Tanna
Senior Scientists at Waters Corporation (MA, USA)

Nikunj Tanna is a Senior Scientist in the scientific operations group at Waters Corporation (MA, USA). His work focuses on complete workflow solutions for quantitation of small and large molecules using tandem quadrupole and HRMS platforms. Tanna is also part of the small molecule discovery and biomedical research team, looking at driving LC–MS based solutions in early small drug discovery. In his previous role as General Supervisor and Bioanalytical Scientist at Berg LLC (MA, USA), Tanna led a clinical diagnostics team focused on providing PK support for the companies’ small molecule drug candidates and performing analytical and clinical validation, and routine analysis for the company’s protein based prostate cancer biomarker panel. Tanna completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and Master’s  in Bioanalytical Sciences from the University of Mumbai (India), and his Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Northeastern University (MA, USA).

Laura Mercolini
Head of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis Laboratory-University of Bologna

Laura Mercolini is Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Head of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis Laboratory (PTA Lab) at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnolgy, University of Bologna (Unibo). She is Director of the Professional Master in Forensic Chemical and Chemical-Toxicological Analyses.

Laura Mercolini carries out her research projects also abroad, periodically visiting universities and research centers in and outside Europe. Her studies are devoted to the development of innovative strategies for the analysis of doping agents, drugs of abuse and CNS drugs in biological and non-biological samples, combining cutting-edge HPLC and CE methodologies with miniaturised sampling and pre-treatment approaches. She is author of more than 100 scientific papers, 4 book chaptrs and inventor of 1 patent; she has delivered more than 200 lectures at international congresses and institutions abroad, including plenary and keynote lectures. Laura Mercolini is member of the Editorial Board of peer reviewed international bioanalytical journals and of the evaluation panel of european fundamental and strategic research projects. She is Principal Investigator of several national and international funded research projects, among which the most recent ones are in collaboration with the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA), the Erasmus+ European Strategic Partnership and the Italian Ministry of Health.

 “I am honored and glad to continue being part of the judging panel of the Bioanalysis Rising Star Award as a member also this year. There are several young talents in the field of bioanalysis and this award is an important way to recognize their efforts and results, in order to encourage their activity.”

Neil Spooner
Director and Founder of Spooner Bioanalytical Solutions

Neil Spooner (Ph.D., C.Chem., F.R.S.C.) is the Founder and Director of Spooner Bioanalytical Solutions, a consultancy based in Hertford, UK.  In this role, Neil helps companies to integrate microsampling and patient centric sampling of biological fluids into pre-clinical, clinical and bioanalytical workflows.  He also works with innovator companies to help them develop novel microsampling and microanalytical technologies and introduce them to the market.  Neil is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire (Hertfordshire, UK), the Senior Editor of Bioanalysis Journal, the co-chair of the CPSA Europe meeting and the Deputy-Chair and Secretary of the Reid Bioanalytical Forum. He has published extensively, with over 60 peer reviewed manuscripts and more than 40 podium presentations at international Conferences and Symposia.

“I am extremely honoured to have been invited to act as one of the judges for this prestigious award.  I am a great believer in encouraging the development of the new and exciting talent we need to face the bioanalytical challenges of the future and for them to bring forwards the novel approaches and ideas that will be the lifeblood of our discipline in the years to come.”

Sooraj Baijnath

Sooraj Baijnath, the 2020 Bioanalysis Rising Star Award winner, is currently a researcher at the Medical Mass Spectrometry department at Uppsala University, Sweden. In 2017, he received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Dr Baijnath then became a Principal Investigator and Academic Leader of Research at the School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. In his short research career Dr Baijnath has received a number of national and international awards, been successful in a number of grant applications and supervised many PhD and Master students. His main research focus is the use of mass spectrometry imaging to understand the neurochemical processes involved in neurodegenerative diseases.