Currently ionic species can be measured using ion-selective electrodes and optical sensors known as optodes. However, both approaches face significant limitations, particularly in connection to the pH cross-sensitivity of optodes.

These limitations are addressed by AIAS-AUFF Fellow Andrei Kalinichev in his project ‘SpectISO: Spectroelectrochemical Integration for Advancing Ion-Selective Optodes’ that has been awarded a Villum Experiment grant of DKK 2 million for his unconventional thinking.

Interdisciplinary scope

Andrei Kalinichev’s project is interdisciplinary in scope as it combines two research fields, electrochemistry and optical sensors, that traditionally have been kept apart. The project is not focusing on immediate applications, rather it is prioritizing unorthodox fundamental research.

Advancing ion measurements in complex samples

In his Villum project, Kalinichev seeks to develop and refine optodes, optical sensor devices that optically measure chemical and biological substances in e.g. environmental, medical and industrial settings. His project aims at both advancing state-of-the-art technologies and has the potential to mark a new era in analytical tools that will make ion measurements in complex samples more reliable, accurate and adjustable.

In total, the Villum Foundation has selected 51 innovative research projects to receive funding as part of the Villum Experiment programme that assesses projects solely on whether the projects challenge research norms and have the potential to change fundamentally the way we approach important topics.

About the Villum Experiment Programme

The Villum Experiment Programme supports researchers in the technical and natural sciences that have unconventional projects and ideas with the potential to answer a long-standing question in science, bring a transformative understanding of a central topic, nurture a fruitful new research area or create the foundation of a novel method or technology.

This programme is advertised in an open competitive call and support projects up to DKK 2 million for up to two years.

Read more about Villum Experiment here:
https://villumfonden.dk/en/nyhed/digital-scents-insects-raw-material

Contact

Andrei Kalinichev, AIAS-AUFF fellow, post doc
E-mail: akalinichev@aias.au.dk

Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) &
Department of Biology – Microbiology,
Aarhus University
Denmark