Dr. Gross is head of the mass spectrometry faculty at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the University of Heidelberg, Germany, since April 1994. His position comprises teaching and research, operation and acquisition of instrumentation, and supporting researchers in mass spectrometry-related problems. From 1984 to 1989 Dr. Gross studied chemistry at the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TUD). In 1990 he finished his diploma thesis with Prof. Dr. J. J. Veith and in January 1994 received his Ph.D. after having continued his work on tandem MS and gas phase ion
chemistry. He has special interest in applications and advancements of ionization methods such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and direct analysis in real time (DART). In particular, he has been involved in the design of ion sources for liquid injection field desorption/ionization (LIFDI) and has recently developed atmospheric pressure field desorption (APFD). Dr. Gross is an active member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Massenspektrometrie (DGMS) since 1990. Since 2004 he has been serving the jury of the Wolfgang Paul-Studienpreis awarded by the DGMS; from 2009 to 2014 as the chairman of this jury. From 2016 to 2024 he is serving as the secretary of the DGMS board of directors. Since 2013 he is serving on the Editorial Advisory Board of European Journal of Mass Spectrometry (EJMS). Dr. Gross has taught several courses and seminars at companies, user meetings, and conferences. Jointly with Professor O. David Sparkman he has taught two-day short courses during all International Mass Spectrometry Conferences (IMSC) from 2009 to 2018. He is author of 60+ scientific papers, of two book chapters, of Mass Spectrometry - A Textbook (3 rd ed. 2017), and of Massenspektrometrie – Spektroskopiekurs kompakt (2019).

He is an analytical chemist with a profound commitment to scientific excellence and societal betterment. His career spans enterprising projects aimed at enhancing laboratory systems and contributing to the broader community. Grounded in a passion for research and development in analytical chemistry, he continuously seeks opportunities for scientific growth and innovation.

At the forefront of food analysis, he engages in comprehensive studies of chemical contamination to ensure consumer health and safety, meet legal standards, and maintain quality assurance. His leadership style fosters positivity in fast-paced environments, emphasizing superior services and collaboration. Overseeing laboratory operations, he ensures compliance with international standards and business continuity. His expertise includes monitoring technological advancements, implementing strategic upgrades, and conducting meticulous residue and contaminant testing in line with ISO17025 standards. He coordinates same day/next day analyses of critical parameters like pesticides, mycotoxins, dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, elemental and trace metals, and microbiological assessments for food products.

Proficient in various analytical techniques, including LC-MSMS, GC-MSMS, GC-FID, ICP-MSMS, and wet chemistry, Dr. Mallard possesses the skills and experience to contribute significantly to discussions on food composition, safety, and quality control. His career\'s core focus on ensuring food safety aligns perfectly with the conference\'s themes. Looks forward to sharing his insights and expertise, actively contributing to sustainable solutions and positive change in this vital field.

Dr. R. Paranthaman, Assistant Chief Technical Officer, Computational Modeling and
Nanoscale Processing Unit (CMNSPU), National Institute of Food Technology,
Entrepreneurship and Management, Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), Ministry of Food Processing
Industries, Government of India.

He received his Postgraduate degree in Applied Microbiology from University of
Madras, and Doctorate in Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University. He has extensive
experience for more than 21 years in areas of food safety and quality testing. He is well
experienced in implementation and monitoring effectiveness of Quality Management
System(QMS) in the laboratory as per ISO/IEC 17025 of biological and chemical testing of
water, food and agricultural products.

His area of specialization includes Method development, validation, verification
and testing using Hi-tech Analytical Instrumentation such as Powder X-ray diffraction (P-
XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS,
UHPLC, HPTLC, GC-MS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, UHPLC-Amino acid analyzer, Preparative
HPLC, Ion Chromatography & Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with EDAX which
includes analysis of heavy metals, pesticide residues, antibiotic residues, amino acid &
vitamin analysis, chemical profiling, mycotoxin, and food adulteration, water and
agricultural products. He received research projects as project leader and project associate
related with Powder X-ray Diffraction of food safety, Probiotics, bioprocessing, enzyme
technology and food safety analysis.
He was awarded the Best “Dr. V. Subramanian IIFPT Best Technical Staff” Of the
Institute in 2021 by NIFTEM-T. He is the recipient of ICDD Grant-in-Aid Program,USA for
his work on pattern development in XRD.

He has served as expert committee member for Hi-tech analytical instrument
procurement and also providing technical guidance to food processing industries. He has
various publications in Peer-reviewed journals of national and international repute. His
articles have more than 1245 citations. He is also the reviewer of Elsevier journals in the
field of food science.

Dr. Dasharath P. Oulkar is a highly experienced expert in food safety and quality testing, with over 20 years of expertise in chromatography, mass spectrometry, and sample preparation techniques. He is currently working in collaboration with FSSAI to develop new methods and provide support to state food laboratories across India. Dr.Oulkar is also a prolific author, contributing to numerous international technical publications.

Instrumentation & Electronics Engineer, with expertise in Applied Statistics for industries and expertise in International business having and industry experience of over 25 years during which have worked with leading scientific software products companies like MATLAB, SPSS, SigmaPlot, PeakFit, SigmaScan, SYSTAT and CAMO. Have worked with Chemometrics company CAMO for more than 12 years and in the field of Chemometrics for more than 25 years during which have provided training\'s and expert consulting services to many industries, R&D institutes and Universities across Asian countries.

Now at SCIENCE4U working as one of the key members of the QbD (Quality Based Design) & PAT (Process Analytical Technologies) team mostly involved with Development and Deployment of Analytical Instrumentation/Spectroscopic instruments like NIR, RAMAN and hyperspectral imaging systems along with Chemometrics methods for various parameters monitoring in manufacturing, laboratory and field applications.