UCTP-REFINE Lab is a research group at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague focused on sustainable waste valorization, chemical recycling, and the production of alternative feedstocks for chemicals and fuels. The team combines chemical engineering, catalysis, and advanced analytical chemistry to study the thermal and catalytic conversion of complex waste streams, particularly plastics, tires, and biomass, including pyrolysis and upgrading of resulting oils. A strong emphasis is placed on comprehensive characterization of feedstocks, intermediates, and products to link composition and process conditions with product quality and support the development of circular, resource-efficient technologies.<h3>PhD position Chemometric processing of GC×GC data from alternative fuels and oils produced via thermochemical conversion of biomass and plastics</h3><h4>Expected experience:</h4><ul><li>Master's degree in chemistry or chemical engineering</li><li>Strong background in analytical chemistry and chemistry in general; a background in chemical engineering is beneficial</li><li>Experience with chromatography is mandatory.</li><li>Experience with chemometric data processing (e.g. in Python) and GC×GC is not required but is beneficial.</li><li>Top-level English, both spoken and written, ideally proven by a certificate.</li></ul><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/refine_lab_equipment_33ff27095e.jpg" alt="UCTP-REFINE-lab: Process Gas Chromatograph with Electrolyzer" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_refine_lab_equipment_33ff27095e.jpg 208w," sizes="100vw" width="500" height="375"><h4>Expected work:</h4><ul><li>Close collaboration with all involved colleagues and relevant partners from the project consortium.</li><li>GC×GC analysis of complex samples utilizing FID, MS and NCD detectors.</li><li>The focus will be on alternative fuels and oils from thermochemical depolymerisation of biomass and plastics, as well as the samples after hydrotreating.</li><li>Advanced GC×GC data processing using chemometrics for prediction model development.</li><li>Participation also in sample production.</li><li>Contribution to project reports, publications, and conference presentations.</li></ul><h4>What we offer:</h4><ul><li>A young but fast-growing Team with strong international collaborations with academia and industry.</li><li>Top-level facilities and expertise in hydrotreating and liquid product analysis.</li><li>Work on a prospective topic in close collaboration with top EU companies as part of a demonstration EU project.</li><li>Competitive income, which level depends entirely on your activity and productivity.</li></ul>Questions? Feel free to contact our students Adham (yaghia@vscht.cz) or Vít (vyskocit@vscht.cz).<ul><li>Preferred start: early 2027</li><li>Application deadline: 30th October 2026</li><li>Funding: Fully funded PhD position as part of an upcoming HE project.</li></ul>If you are interested and meet the criteria, apply through the application form below.<blockquote><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.uctp-refine-lab.com/joining-our-team-form-gcxgc">Apply through this form</a></blockquote>

PhD position Chemometric processing of GC×GC data from alternative fuels and oils

Compositional and Metabolomic Characterization of Major On-Farm Side Streams and Derived Products of Industrial Fine-Flavor Cocoa Processing

The integrity of sport depends on the ability to detect prohibited substances accurately, reliably and with confidence. However, as doping strategies become increasingly sophisticated, the analytical demands placed on anti-doping laboratories continue to evolve.Today’s laboratories must do more than test for a static list of known compounds. They need broad analytical strategies capable of addressing hundreds of substances across multiple chemical classes, identifying emerging threats and supporting defensible confirmation and reporting of adverse analytical findings. For more than 25 years, Thermo Fisher Scientific has worked globally with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories to advance the analytical science supporting modern anti-doping programs.<h3>Anti-doping testing is a moving target</h3>The World Anti-Doping Agency publishes an annually updated Prohibited List that provides a global framework for testing programs. Yet the list is non-exhaustive, meaning laboratories may also need to detect structurally related compounds and substances across several categories, with similar chemical structure and biological activity. That creates a significant analytical challenge. Anti-doping laboratories must be prepared to monitor a broad range of compounds while maintaining the sensitivity, specificity, and confidence required for both initial testing and confirmation. At the same time, the landscape continues to change. Emerging substances, rapidly expanding doping strategies and new approaches to sample collection and analysis are creating multiple considerations for anti-doping laboratories to consider. Dried blood spots (DBS), for example, have gained attention as a complementary approach to traditional urine and venous blood collection supporting applications such as detecting steroid esters and monitoring peptides. High-resolution mass spectrometry is also enabling laboratories to consider both targeted analysis and retrospective interrogation of previously acquired data as scientific knowledge and regulations evolve.<h3>From screening to confident confirmation</h3>No single analytical technique can address every anti-doping challenge.With respect to chemical analysis of toxicologically relevant compounds, modern doping control laboratories employ complementary technologies—including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS)—depending on the compounds and analytical questions involved.For initial testing, laboratories may need to efficiently screen biological samples for numerous prohibited substances spanning categories such as steroids, stimulants, metabolic modulators, diuretics, narcotics, cannabinoids and peptides.When &nbsp;an initial Testing Procedure produces a result requiring confirmation, laboratories need analytical approaches capable of supporting confident confirmation.This combination of broad screening and targeted confirmation has made mass spectrometry central to modern anti-doping science.<h3>Expanding possibilities with LC-MS</h3>High-resolution accurate-mass mass spectrometry can provide precise mass measurements while supporting comprehensive screening of known and suspected substances, while preserving information-rich data that can support investigation of emerging or previously untargeted compounds.An important advantage of high-resolution mass spectrometry is the ability to revisit previously acquired data. As new substances, metabolites or other analytical targets are identified, laboratories can potentially re-process previously acquired full scan data (and any corresponding MSn experiment) without reanalyzing the original sample. This strategy is currently used by laboratories to support global re-testing programs.&nbsp; Triple quadrupole <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/lcms/products?category=20&amp;manufacturerItems=3">LC-MS</a> can complement these workflows by supporting sensitive, targeted quantitation and confirmation of prohibited substances.Together, these approaches provide laboratories the flexibility needed to address today’s testing requirements while giving laboratories greater flexibility to respond to emerging analytical challenges.<h3>The continuing role of GC-MS/MS</h3>Gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry remains an important technology in anti-doing laboratories, particularly for urinary steroid profiling and the screening and confirmation of anabolic- &nbsp;androgenic steroids and other GC-amenable prohibited substances.GC-MS/MS can support both screening and confirmation while providing the sensitivity, selectivity and dymanic range required for screening and confirmatory analysis.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/all/products/485">Thermo Scientific TSQ 9610 Triple Quadrupole GC-MS</a> is designed to maximize sample throughput, helping laboratories address the demands of routine testing while maintaining analytical performance across a wide dynamic range. &nbsp;The TSQ 9610 incorporates NeverVent technology, designed to increase instrument uptime by reducing the disruption associated with routine source maintenance.As anti-doping workflows evolve, bridging screening and confirmation together within robust analytical strategies can help laboratories respond efficiently to increasingly complex testing requirements.<h3>When identifying a steroid isn’t enough</h3>In some anti-doping investigations, simply detecting a compound does not provide the complete answer.Testosterone, for example, can be produced naturally by the body or administered externally as an anabolic steroid. In cases where laboratories need to distinguish between endogenous and exogenous sources, isotope ratio mass spectrometry can provide another layer of information.GC-IRMS can help laboratories determine whether selected urinary steroids are consistent with an endogenous or exogenous origin by comparing carbon isotope ratios.The result is an analytical toolkit in which different technologies answer different questions—from broad screening and sensitive confirmation to determining the origin of a compound.<h3>Putting advanced workflows into practice</h3>Technology is only part of the equation. Real-world anti-doping laboratories also need to manage high sample volumes, turnaround expectations and continually changing analytical requirements.At Laboratoire Anti-Dopage Français (LADF), Director Dr. Magnus Ericsson and his team use advanced mass spectrometry workflows to support anti-doping testing.According to Ericsson, integration of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/all/products?category=20&amp;manufacturerItems=3">Thermo Scientific TSQ</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/all/products?category=37&amp;manufacturerItems=3&amp;search=vanquish">Vanquish systems</a> has helped enhance efficiency and turnaround while supporting more than 40,000 sample analyses since 2023.Experiences like these demonstrate how integrated analytical workflows can help laboratories translate advances in mass spectrometry into routine anti-doping operations.<h3>Preparing for what comes next</h3>Anti-doping science has advanced dramatically—from early testing approaches to today’s sophisticated, — mass spectrometry technologies; including but not limited to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/gcms/products?category=20&amp;manufacturerItems=3">GC-MS/MS</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/lcms/products?category=20&amp;manufacturerItems=3">LC-MS/MS</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/all/products?category=22&amp;manufacturerItems=3">high-resolution accurate-mass MS</a> and<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://labrulez.com/en-us/gcms/products?category=351&amp;manufacturerItems=3"> isotope ratio MS</a> workflows.But the science cannot stand still.Emerging compounds, evolving regulations and increasingly sophisticated doping strategies mean laboratories must continually evaluate how they manage and process samples and then screen, identify, quantify and confirm prohibited substances. The goal remains constant: provide accurate, high-quality analytical results that help protect the integrity of competition.Explore the technologies, workflows and expert perspectives shaping the next generation of anti-doping testing in our comprehensive eBook, Upholding the Integrity of Sport.<blockquote><h5><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://documents.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/CMD/brochures/eb-004467-cl-cmd-ms-antidoping-eb004467-na-en.pdf">Download the anti-doping eBook</a></h5></blockquote>Visit us on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/">LinkedIn:</a>&nbsp;#AntiDoping #MassSpectrometry #SportsIntegrity #WADA

Advancing Anti-Doping Science: Analytical Strategies for the Evolving Fight Against Doping

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UCTP-REFINE Lab is a research group at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague focused on sustainable waste valorization, chemical recycling, and the production of alternative feedstocks for chemicals and fuels. 

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Watrex xTrovert FLEX-O automation SPE sample preparation system

FLEX-O robotic system enabling automation sample preparation on solid phase using 96-titre plates.

FLEX-O robotic system enabling automation sample preparation on solid phase using 96-titre plates. Although there are solutions for automatic SPE on classic column formats, robotic system for automation in 96-well SPE plates is not currently on the market.In addition to the 8-channel pipetting head, the robot is equipped with a gripper and a filling dispenser, which applies wash solutions to the SPE positions on the plate. Instead of filtering using classic vacuum pump, which is used for manual SPE on columns or 96plates, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watrex.com/obchod/laboratory-automation/xtrovert-flex-o/?utm_source=labrulez&amp;utm_medium=propagace&amp;utm_campaign=labrulez_produkty">xTrovert FLEX-O</a> system uses the so-called positive pressure technology when it is the reagent is pushed through the SPE membrane with a multi-channel pressure attachment. That’s it ensuring flow uniformity and reproducibility between individual samples on the plate.The robot is capable of processing up to 4 x 96-well sample plates (384 of total samples) using a protocol with up to 8 different washing and extraction reagents.The system is compatible with the Waters OligoWorks™ SPE Macroplate (96-well), Waters Oasis™ PRiME HLB, Macherey-Nagel™ SPE MULTI 96-Monoblock CHROMABOND™ and other 96-plate format SPE systems.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Watrex_x_Trovert_FLEX_O_automation_SPE_sample_preparation_system_ec3768960e.jpg" alt="Watrex xTrovert FLEX-O automation SPE sample preparation system.jpg" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Watrex_x_Trovert_FLEX_O_automation_SPE_sample_preparation_system_ec3768960e.jpg 208w," sizes="100vw" width="1433" height="1075">If necessary, the user can make modifications to the log using a simple scripting language and subsequent wireless upload to the device. Userthe interface for controlling the system is based on the integrated computer Raspberry Pi ® s 800×480 RGB LCD multi-touch touch screen and the possibility of remote wifi accessfrom an external device (e.g. mobile phone or tablet).<h4>Application</h4><ul><li>Purification of oligonucleotide synthesis products</li><li>Organic Synthesis</li><li>Environmental Analysis</li><li>Medical diagnostics</li><li>Molecular biology and biochemistry</li></ul>The entire system was designed and developed by Watrex Praha and is manufactured in the Czech Republic and promises a shift in the performance and efficiency of laboratory processes worldwide!

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Advancing Anti-Doping Science: Analytical Strategies for the Evolving Fight Against Doping

PhD position Chemometric processing of GC×GC data from alternative fuels and oils

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