Analyzing Emerging Contaminants - Microcystins and the Challenges of the Unknown

Judy Westrick, Ph. D., Director, Lumigen Instrumentation Center, Wayne State University

Judy Westrick earned a Ph.D in physical organic chemistry from University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1989. Since her Ph.D., she has performed research with several interdisciplinary groups such as the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, US EPA, and American Water Works Association. As a leader in cyanotoxins and harmful algal blooms research, she has managed numerous occurrence studies, determined cyanotoxin susceptibility of drinking water treatment processes, developed analytical methodologies, and validated commercial analytical products such as cyanotoxin ELISAs. As the new Director of the Lumigen Instrument Center at Wayne State University, her goal is to provide professional and high quality research and instructional support to Wayne State University researchers as well as to the greater Detroit and Michigan communities.

Dr. Debadeep Bhattacharyya, Sr. Marketing Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Dr. Debadeep Bhattacharyya is the Sr. Manager of Product Marketing (Triple Quadrupole MS) for all businesses in the applied market division at Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. With more than 12 years of experience working with mass spectrometers and other high-end analytical instruments, and also with customers across varied industries and academic institutions, Dr. Bhattacharyya applies his expertise and the experiences gained in working with customers and ensuring their scientific and business success. He also works closely with scientists, business development personnel, regulatory bodies, and key opinion leaders to address the need of mass spectrometer (specifically triple quadrupole) users. Deb received his PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Emory University (Atlanta, GA, USA).