The Gordon Research Conferences provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies.

Two GRCs closely related to our own scientific research and PTR-MS are now supported by IONICON in order to give young researchers the opportunity to present their work to the scientific community.

These days the GRC for Plant Volatiles takes place in Ventura, CA, January 29 – February 3, 2012 and has as topics: Ecology, Biosynthesis, Regulation and Animal Perception of Floral and Vegetative Volatiles, Plus their Roles in Human Flavor and Agriculture.

In June we contribute to the GRC for Biogenic Hydrocarbons and the Atmosphere in Lewiston, ME, June 24-29, 2012 with the headline: Reaching across Scales: From the Molecule to the Globe.

PTR-MS is an essential technology for real-time and ultra-sensitive VOC quantification. IONICON PTR-MS became a reference method in areas such as plant volatiles monitoring and various atmospheric chemistry applications.

Pittcon^® is less than two months away and we’re in the middle of our preparations for the most important laboratory science US show. Looking at the success we had last year in Atlanta at Pittcon, we decided to double our exhibit space and this year we will present you more innovations than ever in a larger booth.

Be sure to visit us at booth # 3703 where you can get in touch with our experts and experience the IONICON PTR-QMS 300, N.A.S.E., the new IONIMED BET sampler and much more as individual live demonstrations. We also have scientific contributions such as posters and talks in special sessions.

You can now find more detailed information about our Pittcon program on our new dedicated event Website: schedule and appointment with us, visit our poster presentations, talks and our booth. Bookmark the site and enjoy exclusive downloads after the show such as reprints of our scientific poster presentations and other useful material.

Click here to visit our event website for Pittcon 2012.

The acronym LCAOS is derived from Lung Cancer detection with an Artificial Olfactory System. In this project novel types of sensors, based on chemically-sensitive field effect transistors (FETs), will be developed and employed for breath analysis. The goal is a cheap and hand-held device for the detection of volatile biomarkers for lung cancer in breath. The multi-national consortium is coordinated by Prof. Hossam Haick from the Technion in Israel. Ionimed Analytik will contribute their expertise in breath analysis and PTR-MS technology. Moreover, a new, highly versatile, gas calibration system is being developed, based on the efficient evaporation of liquid solutions. This Liquid Calibration Unit (LCU) can be used to calibrate sensor arrays as well as gas analytical instruments like PTR-MS. The LCAOS project is funded by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme.

We  present the new PTR-QMS-500 series to the analytical and laboratory market: highest performance and lowest detection limits (< 1 pptv) for VOCs detection and monitoring based on Proton Transfer Reaction – Mass Spectrometry. The PTR-QMS 500 series is the 4^th generation of PTR-MS systems developed and commercialized by IONICON Analytik GmbH, Innsbruck Austria.

The High-Sensitivity PTR-QMS 500 and its sister instrument, the PTR-QMS 500 are the successors of the world’s bestselling PTR-QMS instrument series, the IONICON High-Sensitivity PTR-MS and Standard PTR-MS. This is the new flagship quadrupole-based PTR-MS series where created a new generation of instruments providing the highest sensitivity available in the PTR-MS market but also incorporating several new features and improvements we developed in response to the needs and feedback of our customers.

The PTR-QMS 500 series is engineered to again lead the field of quadrupole based PTR-MS systems and outpace everything that existed in this market before. Among the many improvements, our engineers were able to reduce the size and weight of the instruments, while improving maintainability. A touchscreen display is now common to all IONICON instruments, a new heating chamber layout (easier access to ion source and space for extensions) is implemented and new control electronics (fully software controlled) as well as more interfaces (I/Os) are available. The crown jewel however is the new IONICON ULTRA-PURE ion source delivering a precursor ion intensity never seen before and therefore the High-Sensitivity PTR-QMS 500 continuously quantifies VOCs in lowest possible concentrations approaching even the ppqv-regime.

Learn more on the PTR-QMS series product website!
Download the press release in: English, Deutsch

In the framework of the FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN) called “Proton Ionization Molecular Mass Spectrometry – PIMMS” we are looking for a motivated and committed Early Stage Researcher (ESR) for a 36 months fellowship.

PIMMS is a multidisciplinary and intersectoral analytical chemistry ITN with the objective to train 15 ESRs within a collaborative academic and commercial challenging analytical research network involving 12 full-partners and four associate partners, and with the aim of delivering research through five interlinking themes: fundamental research and development; food sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences, and homeland security. The research training is focused on the conduct of internationally leading analytical research projects which, whilst centered upon the development and adoption of PTR-MS as an analytical tool, will provide training across a wide variety of analytical technologies that are complementary to PTR-MS, thereby providing a broad interdisciplinary and intersectoral experience in analytical chemistry.

Requirements (see Marie Curie ESR Rules):

• Possession of a degree in natural sciences allowing to start a PhD thesis
• Less than 4 years of full-time research experience after obtaining this degree
• Didn’t carry out the main activity (living/working) in Austria for more than 12 months in the last 3 years
• Not in possession of a PhD degree yet
• Take part in secondments to our project partners (0.5 to 6 month periods)

Desirable Skills:

• Capability to integrate into our young and dynamic team, but also to work independently on challenging scientific problems
• Practical experience in mass spectrometry
• Profound knowledge of ion-physics and ion-chemistry
• Experience in vacuum technology
• Manual dexterity in building up scientific setups and instrumentations
• Willingness to write publications and participate in international scientific conferences
• Creativity and flexibility

Benefits for the researcher:

• Possibility to work in a young, modern and successful SME
• Getting educated by the world’s leading PTR-MS company and by the original developers of this technology
• Work in a well-equipped lab environment with the most recent PTR-MS instruments available on the market
• Close proximity to the University of Innsbruck where the researcher can do a PhD
• Highest quality of life in the beautiful Tyrol

Envisaged starting date of the employment: Summer 2012

We especially encourage female researchers to apply for this job offer.

If you are interested in this job offer, please contact jobs@ionicon.com and send detailed information about yourself including an up-to-date CV!
Thank you!
Download a pdf version of the job description.

We are always looking for talents to join our team. Browse all current job openings on our website.