Zongwei Cai

Meet Zongwei Cai

Reason for pursuing analytical science: I became interested in analytical chemistry after learning about MS in an undergraduate course of “Instrument Analysis” at Xiamen University in 1981. Moving onto my PhD in Germany, postdoc in the United States, and my later career in Hong Kong, I have experienced working as an environmental, pharmaceutical, and biological analytical scientist with great joy.

Future of the field: Mass spectrometers will become part of our daily lives – like cars, for example. This will be useful for environmental and food safety applications, and even disease diagnosis.

Advice to younger self: You must have a strong interest in what you do. As an analytical chemist, innovation and multidisciplinary research are particularly important. Research focus is of course necessary, but interest and motivation may also come from the needs of the community – and society as a whole.