Technical track
For working analytical chemists
Date and price TBA
3 hours · Toronto time
Coming soon
LC-MS and HPLC method troubleshooting: a systematic framework
Date and price to be announced · 3 hours · Toronto time
The problem
Most method development training stops at the textbook. The real bottlenecks are in the decisions you make when the data doesn't behave: when do you change the column, when do you adjust the gradient, and when do you start over?
What you'll learn
- You'll be able to diagnose LC-MS and HPLC problems in the right order, not the obvious one
- You'll understand how to defend method development decisions to managers and auditors
- You'll know when to validate versus verify on method transfer
- You'll get the troubleshooting framework from 14 years of bench experience
Who this is for
- QC analysts and method development chemists with 2+ years at the bench
- Chemists responsible for method validation who want a clearer decision framework
- Lab leads who need to explain method choices to auditors and managers
Who this is NOT for
- Students or early-career chemists not yet working with methods in an industry context (see the career-bridge track)
- Anyone looking for a regulatory or compliance course — this is bench-first, not audit-first
Questions
- Is this specific to a particular industry?
- The troubleshooting framework applies across industries. Examples draw from pharma, environmental, and natural-product work, but the logic transfers to any reversed-phase LC work.
- What instrument brands does this assume?
- None. The framework is instrument-agnostic. Where specific instruments are referenced, it's for illustration only.
- Will there be hands-on exercises?
- Yes. We'll work through real case studies with actual data. You'll apply the framework during the session, not just hear about it.
About the instructor
I've spent 14 years developing and validating LC-MS and HPLC methods in pharmaceutical, CRO, environmental and natural-product labs, after a Ph.D. in Janusz Pawliszyn's lab at Waterloo. 200+ scientists trained, 18 peer-reviewed papers. I teach what actually happens at the bench, including the parts that go wrong.