dr. GIJ (Gert) Salentijn

Dr. Gert Salentijn is associate professor of Analytical Chemistry at Wageningen University & Research (both in the Lab of Organic Chemistry and in the Biosensors group at Wageningen Food Safety Research) and a 2019 recipient of the NWO Veni grant. In 2019 he worked as a visiting scientist in the world’s leading mass spectrometry group of Prof. Graham Cooks at Purdue in the USA. He is Work Package leader for detection technology in the Horizon 2020 ITN FoodSmartphone. He teaches in three chemistry courses; analytical methods in organic chemistry (BSc course), environmental analytical techniques (MSc course), and advanced (bio)analytical chemistry (elective).

Gert Salentijn obtained his MSc degree in Pharmacy cum laude at the University of Groningen, and completed his PhD cum laude in the Verpoorte group in Groningen in a public-private partnership (NWO-COAST) to develop portable ion sources for mass spectrometry (MicroMS). He has co-founded SG Papertronics, a spin-off company from the University of Groningen, developing platform technology for paper-based analyses, based on his patented technology for sample pre-concentration on paper.

In his past research, Gert Salentijn has pioneered the application of 3D-printing for functionalized, microfluidic devices, and contributed substantially to the advancement of paper spray ionization, an ambient ionization method for mass spectrometry. Simultaneously, he has developed a separate research line in which surface modification of paper is employed to create smart on-site testing.

All his current research is ultimately aimed at getting chemical analysis out of the lab, and into the hands of the people that need the (interpretation of) chemical information. These could be consumers that want to know that their food can be safely eaten (e.g. free from allergens or contaminants), inspectors that need to monitor food safety for the government, or patients who need to know vital information about their own health. Different research fields and analytical strategies are combined to achieve such goals, including ambient ionization (portable) mass spectrometry, lateral flow immunochemistry, chemical surface modification for (paper) microfluidics and 3D printing.