Sarah Szakas, a postdoctoral research associate in the Chemical Sciences Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Hunter Andrews, an R&D staff member in ORNL's Radioisotope Science and Technology Division, were named among the world's top young analytical scientists. The recognition came in a special issue of the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry , a Royal Society of Chemistry publication that shares innovative research on the fundamental theory and application of spectrometric techniques.
Worldwide experts nominate young scientists in atomic spectrometry and related areas to contribute papers to the journal. Nominees are graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers in their first industrial appointment or young analytical faculty members.
Szakas, who works in the Chemical and Isotopic Mass Spectrometry Group, was lauded for her invited paper Particle signal considerations for isotope ratio analysis with single particle multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry .
She focuses on advancing single-particle and single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for time-of-flight and multi-collector-based platforms - vital to tracking isotopic biomarkers in fields from medicine to environmental forensics. She also explores coupling laser ablation for bioimaging. She earned her doctorate in analytical chemistry from Iowa State University in 2024.
Andrews, who works in the Isotope Applications Research group, was recognized for his invited paper Rapid spatial analysis of surrogate TRISO fuel particles using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy image analysis .
He develops innovative optical analytical methods to monitor hazardous environments and detect trace signatures - critical for molten salt monitoring technologies and applications in nuclear fuels, isotope production, battery research, advanced materials and environmental and biological analyses. He specializes in optical spectroscopy, particularly laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. He earned his doctorate in mechanical and nuclear engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science . - Dawn Levy
