Organic Trace Analysis

Organic contaminants even in very low concentrations can have toxic and ecotoxic effects on exposed organisms. Detection and quantification of such trace amounts in diverging matrices (e.g., water, air, soil, food, tissue, organisms) is challenging and great carefulness and strategic thinking is needed to get reliable results along the way from taking samples up to the final analysis. In the 2^nd edition, besides revisions of existing chapters, new analytical technologies and recent application examples are presented: non-target mass spectrometric analysis, trace analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkylated "forever chemicals", organophosphorus esters (nerve agents), and micro- and nanoplastic particles in the environment.

Students will learn about peculiarities and state of the art organic trace analysis and acquire basic and advanced principles of

• statistical evaluation of analytical results
• quality control strategies and good laboratory practices
• sampling techniques from various matrices
• sample treatment, enrichment and clean-up techniques
• chromatographic analyses including hyphenated techniques, and spectroscopy as well
• mass spectrometry
• and bioanalytical tools.

An extended chapter on selected applications will transfer the theoretical understanding into applied scientific problems. Students will profit from a comprehensive and state of the art overview of organic trace analyses and from an extensive collection of relevant literature.

Personal Data

Name: Schaeffer, Andreas

Date of Birth: 17.05.1955

Private address: Alfons-Gerson-Str. 26, 52076 Aachen

Contact + ORCID ID
andreas.schaeffer@bio5.rwth-aachen.de, +492418026678
0000-0002-4110-2631

Professional Experience

Since 2004
Professor for Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics; Director of the Institute for Environmental Research at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, www.bio5.rwth-aachen.de

Since 2003
Head of the Research Institute for Ecosystem analysis and assessment, Aachen, Germany (honorary), www.gaiac-eco.de

2000 - 2007
(As a second appointment) Director at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Schmallenberg, Germany

1997 - 2004
Professor for Environmental Analytical Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University, Germany

1989 -1997
Research in chemical industry, Basel, Switzerland

1986 - 1989
Postdoc, University of Zürich, Switzerland

1984 - 1986
Postdoc, Harvard University, Boston, USA

1982 - 1984

PhD thesis, University Münster, Germany
1976 - 1982

Study of Chemistry, University Münster, Germany
1974 - 1976

Qualification as nurse, Wuppertal, Germany

Professional Memberships and awards

Since 2019
Board member of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP)

2019
Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) award as "distinguished scientist"

Since 2014
Honorary Professor, Chongqing University, China

Since 2012
Adjunct Professor, Nanjing University, China

Since 2015
Member of the Commission Environment, National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Since 1997
Member of the German Chemistry Association (GDCh, chair of the board, 2007-2014)

Since 1997
Member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)

Since 1997
Member of the Soil Science Society, Germany (DBG)

2000-2012
Member of the expert group on risk assessment of pesticides at the ministry of food safety and user protection, Germany (BVL)

Since 2009
Member of the expert group on risk assessment of pesticides at the ministry of risk assessment, Germany (BfR)

2003-2006, 2009-2012
Member of the European Food Safety Authority, scientific panel on risk assessment of pesticides, Parma/Italy (EFSA)

Research interest

Ecochemistry (degradation, binding and transport of pollutants in soil, plants, water)
Bioremediation (using plants)
Environmental risk assessment of pollutants in soil, plants and water

Supervision of Bachelor, Master, PhD students
More than 150 PhD theses and 200 Diploma/Bachelor/Master theses since 1997

Publication record (ISI core collection)

No of publications: 248

Citations: > 8000 (without self-citations)

h-factor (ISI core):43 (no publications during industry stay 1989-1997)

Projects

Funded by DFG, EU, national and international ministerial organizations, industry