Waters recognises Thomson MS Laboratory as Center of Innovation

Waters Corporation has recognised the Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, as a Waters Center of Innovation. The program recognises and supports the efforts of scientists facilitating breakthroughs in health and life science research, food safety, environmental protection, sports medicine and many other areas. The Thomson Laboratory, under the directorship of Dr Marcos Eberlin, is the first mass spectrometry laboratory in Latin America to receive such a designation.

At a campus ceremony, Tim Riley, Waters Centers of Innovation Program Director, lauded Dr Eberlin for his achievements.

“The Thomson Laboratory is the most prestigious mass spectrometry laboratory in all of Latin America,” he said. “Professor Eberlin’s contributions in the field of mass spectrometry are impressive and his enthusiasm for the subject and his passion for passing along his knowledge to his students are truly amazing. It is indeed an honour to be associated with him and his laboratory.”

Dr Eberlin is heavily involved in the world of mass spectrometry. He has supervised over 100 Brazilian spectrometrists and directs one of the world’s largest mass spectrometry research teams. He is co-founder and President of the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation, co-founder and Vice President of the Brazilian Mass Spectrometry Society (BrMASS) and serves as a member of the editorial advisory board of several MS-related journals.

Dr Eberlin currently oversees the research of 45 students and employees who publish close to 60 manuscripts per year. His laboratory is pioneering mass spectrometry research in ambient mass spectrometry, proteomics and peptidomics, lipidomics, MS imaging, bacteria and microorganism fingerprinting, petroleomics, MS of ionic liquids and MS fingerprinting for forensic investigations.

“Today we are celebrating a milestone for mass spectrometry in Brazil. It’s been an honour for a laboratory in Brazil to be chosen as a Waters Center of Innovation,” said Dr Eberlin. “The pioneering professors and students of the Institute of Chemistry deserve the credit for laying the groundwork that made it possible to be where we are today. We are no longer playing catch-up, we are innovating in mass spectrometry. And we are getting access to new techniques before they are commercialised. It’s not enough to have great ideas; you have to have the right instrumentation and have access to it before others do.”

Of the honour bestowed on the Thomson Laboratory, Dr Eberlin said, “There’s nothing better than to have our hard, pioneering work recognised. We’re really proud that our efforts are worthy of this honour and to be selected for the Waters Centers of Innovation Program. And I thank God for opening the doors that led to such an honour.”