Canada Research Chair chemist Janusz Pawliszyn joins Chinese university
The 71-year-old inventor of two major analytical chemistry techniques was hired by a former student.
Janusz Pawliszyn, a decorated 71-year-old analytical chemist and Canada Research Chair, has taken a professorship at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. The move is notable as he was recruited by Ouyang Gangfeng, a former postdoctoral fellow from his lab who now serves as dean of the university's School of Chemical Engineering and Technology. Pawliszyn is the inventor of two foundational analytical chemistry techniques—solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and thin-film microextraction (TFME)—which are used globally in environmental monitoring, food safety, and pharmaceutical analysis.
Pawliszyn's career accolades include being appointed a Canada Research Chair in 2003, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2010, and receiving the Chemical Institute of Canada Medal in 2023. He has supervised an extensive network of over 110 master's and doctoral students and nearly 200 postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars, many of whom are from China. This hire represents a strategic gain for China's academic and research sector, leveraging deep mentor-student relationships to attract top-tier international scientific talent.
- Janusz Pawliszyn, 71, a Canada Research Chair and Royal Society of Canada fellow, joins Sun Yat-sen University.
- He invented two major analytical chemistry techniques: solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and thin-film microextraction (TFME).
- He was hired by Ouyang Gangfeng, a former postdoc from his lab who is now dean of the school.
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