Thitiporn Sukaew

Thitiporn Sukaew

PhD Student

Email: thsukaew@umich.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Most applications of the mGC require the determination of targeted compounds at concentrations in the ppb- or sub-range, which are lower than the limits of detection (LOD) of the most sensor arrays for typical analyte vapors; hence the need for preconcentration prior to analysis. My research interests involve the development of the devices and subsystems used for preconcentration, whereby the VOCs in a large volume of air are captured and desorbed into a smaller volume to increase the concentration. Preconcentration can be selective, which can reduce the number of interferences needing to be separated from selected target analytes in certain applications. The preconcentrator can be single-stage or multi-stage. It ideally should serve as a ‘thermal injector’ that provides a focused injection band to the separation column to maximize chromatographic resolution of the mixture components. The term ‘preconcentrator/focuser’ was coined to highlight the dual function of such devices, as well as the tradeoffs required for optimizing performance. The broad goal of my research is to improve the design of miniaturized and microfabricated vapor preconcentrator devices used to capture, focus, and thermally inject analytes in microfabricated gas chromatographic analyzers for the determination of toxic vapors encountered in workplace or residential environments.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., University of Michigan (2010-present)

Department of Environmental Health Sciences (Concentration: Industrial Hygiene)

M.P.H., University of Michigan (2008)

Department of Environmental Health Sciences (Concentration: Industrial Hygiene)

B.Pharm, Chiangmai University (2004)

Department of Pharmacy (First Class Honors)

HONORS & AWARDS

• The Royal Thai Government Scholarship (August 2006-2012)

• Best Poster Award in Sampling Analysis Category, American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exo (AIHCE), Portland, Oregon, May 2011

PUBLICATIONS

Sukaew, T.; Chang, H.; Serrano, G.; Zellers, E. T. Analyst 2011, 136, 1664– 1674

Chang, H., S. K. Kim, T. Sukaew, F. Bohrer, and E. T. Zellers, Proc. Solid-State Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems Workshop, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 2010, pp. 278-281.

Chang, H., S. K. Kim, T. Sukaew, F. Bohrer, and E. T. Zellers, Proc. of Eurosensors XXIV, Linz, Austria, 2010, pp. 973-976.

PRESENTATIONS

• WIMS IAB meeting 05-2009, Poster Presentation “Designed Materials for an Integrated Vapor μ-Preconcentrator”

• Vaughan Symposium 07-2009, Poster Presentation “ Optimizing Preconcentrator Adsorption/Desorption Functions for Determination of TCE with a Micro Gas Chromatograph”

• WIMS IAB meeting 10-2009, Poster Presentation “Multi-Stage Preconcentrator/Focuser Module for a μGC”

• WIMS IAB meeting 10-2009, Poster Presentation “Designed Materials for an Integrated Vapor μ-Preconcentrator”

• WIMS IAB meeting 05-2010, Poster Presentation “Multi-Stage Preconcentrator/Focuser Module for a μGC”

• WIMS IAB meeting 05-2010, Poster Presentation “Designed Materials for an Integrated Vapor μ-Preconcentrator”

• WIMS IAB meeting 05-2011, Poster Presentation “Kinetic Factors Affecting the Design and Performance of Micropreconcentrators for μGC”

WHEN I AM NOT IN THE LAB, I AM

....reading, cooking, traveling.