Industry News: ALA Positions for the Future With Three New Directors Set to Join the Board

The Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA), a multi-disciplinary, non-profit scientific society spanning diverse industries and technology sectors, continues to set a solid foundation for its future. In accordance with ALA’s Election Policy (Section 9.17, Subsection IV), three new members will join the ALA Board of Directors at LabAutomation2008, Jan. 26-30, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, CA, USA.

“The additions of Jason Abbas, Malcolm Crook and Kerstin Thurow will further diversify and globalize our Board,” said 2007 ALA President Reinhold Schäfer, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Germany. “I am confident that having them on the Board will further the advancement of the ALA as the premier professional and scientific society of automation and instrumentation technologists.”

Set to join the ALA Board of Directors in January is:

Jason Abbas, MS., currently serves as Research Scientist at Syngenta Seeds, Inc. headquartered in Slater, Iowa. Abbas is responsible for leading cross-functional teams to identify, research, validate, recommend, implement, and integrate nascent technologies into Syngenta’s worldwide laboratory network. Abbas has been an active member within the ALA organization serving on the Steering Committee and most recently as a member of the LabAutomation2008 Scientific Committee. Abbas is recognized in the food and agricultural industries as a noted author and award-winning speaker (American Society of Microbiology). Abbas holds a M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Northern Iowa, a B.S. in Biology and Minor in Chemistry from the same institution where he also served as an adjunct professor.

Malcolm Crook, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder of Process Analysis & Automation, Ltd. (PAA), located in Farnborough, United Kingdom. As the Director of Laboratory Automation for PAA, Crook is responsible for the development of automation software and automation solutions for the forensics and securities industries spanning Europe. Crook’s most well known work is the United Kingdom’s Overlord project, which has come to be recognized as the world’s largest DNA database of felons and offenders. Crook has been an active member in the laboratory automation community as a frequent exhibitor at ALA’s LabAutomation conference and exhibition, and as a vital member of automation committees for the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Prior to forming PAA, Crook was employed by British Petroleum developing software for control and data output and the manufacture of novel robot systems. Crook has a Ph.D. in Synthetic Chemistry from the University of Southhampton, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the same institution.

Kerstin Thurow, Ph.D., is a Professor for Life Science Automation at the University of Rostock, the Director for the Institute of Automation, and the Director for the Center for Life Science Automation (CELISCA), all headquartered in Rostock, Germany. Focused on the unique relationship and transfer of technology from the university setting to industry, Thurow has spent more than a decade of research in analytical, chemical and bio-automation for applications in food engineering, drug development and forensics/security (analytics in chemical warfare, etc). Thurow is well established in the ALA organization as a past presenter at conferences, author for the ALA journal, and as the monthly reviewer of commercial and educational books on laboratory automation. She is an active member in other esteemed scientific societies such as Acatech, Academy Sciences of Hamburg, American Chemical Society, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, and DECHEMA, to name a few. Additionally, Thurow has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles for highly recognized international scientific journals. Thurow has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Munich, and a second Ph.D. in Control and Measurement from the University of Rostock.

The three board members whose terms come to a close in January are:

• Andrea Chow, Ph.D., Caliper Life Sciences, Mountain View, CA
• Peter Grandsard, Ph.D., Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA
• Reinhold Schäfer, Dr.rer.nat., Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany