Winter 2008 Newsletter
Q & A with Aaron Cassely, M.S.
This issue’s featured expert is Aaron Cassely. Aaron has been working at Chemir for over 7 years first as a chemist, then as a project leader and now as Senior Director of Technical Services. We sat down with Aaron to discuss his experiences at Chemir and his interest in analytical chemistry.
Q. What did you do before coming to Chemir?
A. I purified and characterized recombinant proteins in support of drug discovery efforts at Pfizer.
Q. What are some memorable projects that you have worked on?
A. There have been too many to count. The most enjoyable projects are the deformulation studies. The process involves obtaining pieces of a puzzle though a variety of analytical techniques and then putting them together through interpretation. I’ve been involved with deformulations of all types of products such as pharmaceuticals, shampoos, toothpastes, plastic toys and medical devices, to name a few.
Q. What do you like best about working at Chemir?
A. I find analytical chemistry extremely fascinating. The diverse instrumentation available at Chemir allows us to gather data that, when put together, solves our clients’ challenging problems.
Q. What is your favorite instrument in the lab and why?
A. That would have to be the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR) because it provides such a wealth of information to the chemist.
Q. I hear that you are a good cook. Do you think that is because there are similarities between chemistry and cooking?
A. Well, I have always enjoyed working with my hands. Since I don’t do much lab work anymore, I do find cooking to be personally satisfying.