One of the main items of business at the 2024 Eurachem General Assembly was the appointment of officers, including the new Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, following completion of the 2022-24 Chair's two year term. The new Chair is Eugenia Eftimie Totu of Romania, joined by Helen Cantwell from Ireland as Vice Chair and Daniel Petre of Romania as Secretary.

The GA also warmly thanked Isabelle Vercruysse and Philippe Maesen for their hard work as Chair and Secretary since 2022. Isabelle Vercruysse becomes the new Past Chair, replacing Vicki Barwick in that role.

Eurachem Chair - Eugenia Eftimie Totu

Eugenia Eftimie Totu is the new Eurachem chair for 2024-2026. She began her university career immediately after graduating with the highest honors from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Romania. She also worked as a scientific researcher in electronic device manufacturing, focusing on quality control of circuits. Her keen interest in developing new intelligent devices for clinical and environmental applications led her to undertake a one-year research program at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. She later returned there as a Visiting Professor for several years. Her Ph.D. thesis on ion-selective sensors with analytical applications concluded her studies on sensitive microdevices, including their manufacturing, characteristics, and accuracy determinations.

Since 2004, she has been a Professor at the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Romania, teaching Analytical Chemistry, Instrumental Analysis, Optimization of Analytical Processes, Quality Control Assurance in the Food Industry, and Quality Control of Inorganic Products. During this time, she also received a Project Management Certificate and other professional certificates through the Continuous Education Program in the US. Utilizing her management knowledge, she served as the national representative of Japanese companies such as Nissho Iwai or Sojitz and as a Project Manager for local company investments for nine years.

Her scientific contributions include over 80 presentations, more than 100 papers, 12 books or chapters, and several patents. She has participated in 30 research projects, leading eight as Project Director, including four international projects. These projects have focused on the accreditation of a testing laboratory, human resources development, and integrated management systems for education and research. She is affiliated with several national and international scientific organizations and was awarded the “Petru Spacu” Medal of the Romanian Society of Chemistry in 2019 for her outstanding professional activity in chemistry. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Executive Committee of Eurachem and the Education and Training and Qualitative Analysis Working Groups, and she is currently the President of the Eurachem-Romania Association.

Eugenia said:

I am honored and excited to be elected as Eurachem's new Chair. This opportunity to serve and lead our incredible community is both a privilege and a challenge. I look forward to working closely with our newly appointed vice chair, Helen, and our past chair, Isabelle, as well as with all of you—our dedicated members and liaisons. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Isabelle, Vicki, and Marina for their incredible hard work and support. Also, many thanks for the encouragement to Bertil, who supported the first full female leadership of Eurachem, as Marina said years ago.

As we embark on this journey together, we find ourselves in a time when innovation is accelerating, new techniques are emerging, and updated standards and regulations are continually reshaping our field. I am confident that we can achieve great things together through a positive and collaborative environment and make meaningful contributions to the analytical chemistry community, no matter the challenges.

I am eager to get started and to work alongside each of you in the coming years.

Eurachem Vice-Chair - Helen Cantwell

Helen has a degree in analytical science and a PhD in biochemistry from Dublin City University. After graduating, Helen moved to Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority in Ireland, where she worked as a Research Officer in the area of veterinary drug residues. Her work involved method development and validation along with routine analysis of samples in an accredited, regulatory laboratory. An affinity for Quality led Helen to take on the role of Quality Manager, managing the laboratory’s accreditation to ISO 17025.

Helen moved to the State Laboratory in 2015. The State Laboratory is the Irish Government’s principal analytical chemistry laboratory and provides a comprehensive analytical and advisory service to over 40 clients across a range of Government Departments and Offices and State Bodies. Helen currently works as a Principal Chemist. She has oversight of the Animal Feedingstuffs, Human Toxicology High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Human Toxicology Drugs & Alcohol and Finance Sections and is a member of the Management Board.

Helen’s participation in Eurachem began in 2016 when she joined the committee of Eurachem Ireland. That same year she joined the Eurachem Method Validation Working Group and served as Vice-chair/Secretary until 2023 when she became Chair. Through her work with Eurachem, Helen has been involved in the organisation of workshops, including the 2018 Eurachem week held in Dublin, and has been involved in the publication of a number of guidance documents. She has served as one of the Irish national representatives to Eurachem since 2019 and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2021.

Eurachem Secretary - Daniel Petre

Daniel Petre graduated with high honors from the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Romania - Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies. He holds an M.Sc. degree in Smart Polymers and Biopolymers from the same university. As a Ph. D. student in Chemical Engineering, he is currently working on creating microdevices for clinical applications. Daniel was awarded prizes at professional competitions and participated in numerous international conferences.

Presently, Daniel Petre holds the position of Technical Director at a private company whose core activity is analytical equipment and integrated management systems. He contributed to developing accreditation documents based on ISO 17025:2017 for a new laboratory funded by European sources, focused on pesticide analysis in food.

Daniel says

I am proud to assist Eugenia Totu, the new Chair of EURACHEM, as Secretary for the 2024–2026. It is an honor to be part of the Eurachem team and contribute to promoting analytical chemistry and quality assurance.

Considering today's food safety challenges, Daniel highlights the importance of analytical determinations:

I believe that the development of methods for the determination of new hazardous substances such as pesticides and other dangerous additives and contaminants is essential to ensure food quality.

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Published: Saturday, 01 June 2024 00:01

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