Essays on analytical chemistry, methods, and careers in industry.

All essays

1. Measuring logD by HPLC: how I profiled new molecules at a CRO without the shake-flask

   Chromatographic logD profiles a molecule's lipophilicity from calibrated HPLC retention, faster and on less sample than shake-flask. How it works, from the bench.

   HPLC

   Jun 2026

   5 min

2. HPLC system suitability isn't a formality. What an SST failure is actually telling you

   Most analysts treat HPLC system suitability as a checkbox. Here's what an SST failure is really telling you, and how to read it instead of just repeating it.

   HPLC

   Jun 2026

   7 min

3. The literature pKa isn't the one running your method. How to measure the one that is

   The literature pKa is aqueous; the apparent pKa in your mobile phase governs retention. How to measure it from retention versus pH, and read it off the first derivative.

   HPLC

   Jun 2026

   6 min

4. A fronting peak is rarely the column

   Peak fronting gets blamed on the column or the instrument. The cause is almost always upstream, in the sample. Here is where to look, in order, and how to confirm it in one injection.

   HPLC

   Jun 2026

   7 min

5. How analytical chemistry postdocs can rewrite their resumes for pharma, CRO and biotech roles

   Problem-led PhD resume/CV isn't the problem. The language is. Here's how to translate your postdoc work into industry signals that get interview calls

   Career

   May 2026

   12 min

6. Your Ph.D. made you industry-adjacent not industry-ready

   Your PhD trained you for novelty. Industry wants reliability. What I learned crossing that gap in 14 years of analytical chemistry.

   Career

   May 2026

   6 min

7. Why chemical logic beats instrument time in cosmetic method development

   A Ph.D. chemist breaks down how chemical logic, not trial and error, cuts LC-MS method development time for cosmetic peptide testing.

   LC-MS

   May 2026

   10 min

8. LC-MS method development is risk mitigation. Most labs treat it like a recipe

   A failed method costs you a month, sometimes two. Method development is risk mitigation, and most labs skip the work that proves it.

   HPLC

   May 2026

   10 min

9. What industry actually wants from analytical chemists

   Your degree taught you to run a method. Industry hires people who can own one. How to show that before your first interview.

   Career

   May 2026

   6 min