EMU Chemistry Alumnus wins prestigious NSF CAREER Award

Adapted from press release on Rowan University website. 

Dr. James Grinias, an alumnus from the EMU Chemistry department, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award totaling $524,999. The NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program offers the foundation’s most prestigious awards to support early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Throughout the five-year project, both undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in the work in Grinias’ lab.

Grinias, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is exploring new, two-dimensional liquid chromatography techniques to advance the way scientists separate molecules found in chemical mixtures. Grinias describes it as, “a more powerful technology that allows you to accommodate more complex samples, increase the throughput of tests, and produce less chemical waste.” 

Liquid chromatography is one of the most widely used techniques in chemistry—but there’s always room for improvement. Because the technique is so crucial to research in all areas of chemical analysis, the gains Grinias makes have the potential to resonate across the field.  Grinias and his research team are investigating the use of small-diameter capillary columns, which “reduces the amount of chemical solvents needed for testing by thousands of times,” and thereby lowers damage to the environment as well as handling and disposal costs. 

Grinias received his B.S. in Chemistry from Eastern Michigan University in 2009 and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan. 

Posted Jan 5, 2021