July 21, 2021

New “Rising Star” Award supports leadership and engagement with student researchers using mass spectrometry technology for food analysis

ROCKVILLE, MD USA, July 21, 2021—AOAC INTERNATIONAL today announced Klara Navratilova as the winner of the 2021 AOAC INTERNATIONAL/SCIEX Rising Star Award. Klara is a PhD student majoring in food chemistry and analysis. At the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, she focuses her research on food authentication testing, employing mainly LC-MS-based metabolic fingerprinting strategy.

The award, supported by contributions from SCIEX, encourages the integration of graduate students into AOAC. It focuses on candidates with demonstrable potential to become thought leaders and scientific influencers in their respective fields. Applicants submitted abstracts and supporting material to be judged by an AOAC INTERNATIONAL committee of experts.

“SCIEX is impressed by the remarkable work conducted by Ms. Klara Navratilova, the recipient of the first annual AOAC INTERNATIONAL/SCIEX Rising Star Award,” said Joseph Fox, President of SCIEX. “We are honored to support the next generation of extraordinary researchers who advance critical food safety efforts around the world through innovation in analytical science using the power of mass spectrometry.”

Klara Navratilova, 2021 AOAC/SCIEX Rising Star Award Winner

Klara’s current research aims at the detection of soft-deodorized olive oil addition in extra virgin olive oils, which is a recent challenging authentication issue in the olive oil sector. A metabolic fingerprinting strategy was used as a basis for the development of an analytical method targeting only selected markers of the soft-deodorization process, a solution suitable for routine food testing.

“It is a great honor to be selected as a recipient of the Rising Star Award and to receive a one-year AOAC INTERNATIONAL student membership,” Klara said. “The opportunity to meet and network with the leading experts in food analysis and to find inspiration for my future career is really exceptional not only for me, but also for my colleagues from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.”

Klara receives a cash prize, AOAC student membership, and financial support to attend an AOAC Annual Meeting, where she will be recognized and present her work to hundreds of leading analytical scientists. She will also be featured in AOAC’s highly respected Inside Laboratory Management (ILM) magazine.

“It’s always a pleasure to recognize and honor the contributions of young scientists like Klara,” said Palmer Orlandi, AOAC’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Science Officer. “She is well-deserving of this award. Her demonstrated critical thinking and innovative research using state-of-the-art technologies to address a growing food safety concern such as food adulteration set her apart. We look forward to following Klara’s career as we feel she represents the future of leading applied analytical scientists.”

Learn more about the AOAC INTERNATIONAL/SCIEX Rising Star Award here.

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About SCIEX

SCIEX delivers solutions for the precision detection and quantification of molecules, empowering its customers to protect and advance all wellness and safety. From the launch of the first-ever commercially successful triple quadrupole in 1981, SCIEX has developed groundbreaking technologies and solutions that influence life-changing research and outcomes. Today, it continues to pioneer robust solutions in mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis, with chemists across the globe using its technology to develop analytical testing solutions for environmental, food, and cannabis applications. For more information, visit www.sciex.com.