Wolfram Meier-Augenstein

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Wolfram Meier-Augenstein
FRSC
BornSeptember 1959
Occupation Forensic science

Wolfram Meier-Augenstein is an emeritus professor at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a member of the advisory board of the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry and a member of the editorial board of the journal Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies for the topics/disciplines ‘stable isotope tracer & methodology’.

Contents

Biography

Meier-Augenstein was born in September 1959. [1] He completed his studies in Chemistry and Molecular Genetics at the Ruprechts Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany in 1987. He is a certified radiation protection officer and served as such at the Institute of Organic Chemistry from 1986 to 1989. He holds a doctorate in natural sciences (Dr. rer. nat.) awarded by the Ruprechts Karl University of Heidelberg in 1989. The subject of his PhD thesis was the structure/activity relationship of stereoisomers of the Periodic Leaf Movement Factor 1 that triggers the nastic leaf movement of Mimosa pudica . As Feodor-Lynen-Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and PD Fellow of the South African Research Foundation he spent one and a half years as post-doctoral fellow with Prof. B.V. Burger at the Stellenbosch University. Here he synthesised and studied cyclodextrin derivatives used as chiral selectors for selective gas chromatography. From there, his career took him to the University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, the University of California, San Diego, the University of Dundee, the Queen's University Belfast and back to Scotland, first to the James Hutton Institute, Dundee and finally Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

While at the University Children's Hospital Heidelberg he designed and developed the first GC(/MS)-C-IRMS instrument for simultaneous compound identification and compound specific isotope analysis of the various constituents of a complex sample. Building this hyphenated MS/IRMS hybrid was supported by Finnigan MAT (as then was) and Dr Willie Brand (Finnigan MAT) who designed and built the interface for splitting the flow from the gas chromatograph in the ratio needed to meet specifications and requirement of both the ion trap mass spectrometer and the Delta S isotope ratio mass spectrometer.

From 2010 to 2014 he served as Director of the Forensic Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Network (FIRMS). [1] [2] while from 2009 to 2013 he was a Council member of the British Association for Human Identification (BAHID). [3] He was one of the scientists consulted by the Garda Síochána investigating the case of the dismembered torso found in the Dublin Royal Canal. [4] This case gained notoriety under the name Scissor Sisters. He was also one of the scientists consulted by the police investigating the Norfolk headless body case. [5] [6]

Most recently Meier-Augenstein was involved with the investigation of the death of Lamduan Armitage dubbed "The Lady of the Hills" and the "Thai Bride". His interpretation of stable isotopic signatures obtained from remains of the murder victim corroborated one line of investigation that the victim might have grown up in Thailand. [7] A subsequently launched public appeal received a response from a Thai family who believed the victim could be their daughter. [8] DNA tests finally confirmed the identity of the victim as Lamduan Armitage, née Seekanya, originally from Thailand who had moved to the UK in 1991. [9]

He is the author of the 2010 book Stable Isotope Forensics, the first textbook dedicated to principles and forensic applications of stable isotope analytical techniques, [10] which since has been extensively up-dated. The second edition, Stable Isotope Forensics - Methods and Forensic Applications of Stable Isotope Analysis, was published in 2018. [11]

On 26 December 2022 Meier-Augenstein appeared in the 2022 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, with the title 'Secrets of Forensic Science', delivered by Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome. [12] [13]

Selected publications

Articles

Books

Related Research Articles

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Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a mass spectrum, a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is used in many different fields and is applied to pure samples as well as complex mixtures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ion source</span> Device that creates charged atoms and molecules (ions)

An ion source is a device that creates atomic and molecular ions. Ion sources are used to form ions for mass spectrometers, optical emission spectrometers, particle accelerators, ion implanters and ion engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electron ionization</span> Ionization technique

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrospray ionization</span> Technique used in mass spectroscopy

Electrospray ionization (ESI) is a technique used in mass spectrometry to produce ions using an electrospray in which a high voltage is applied to a liquid to create an aerosol. It is especially useful in producing ions from macromolecules because it overcomes the propensity of these molecules to fragment when ionized. ESI is different from other ionization processes since it may produce multiple-charged ions, effectively extending the mass range of the analyser to accommodate the kDa-MDa orders of magnitude observed in proteins and their associated polypeptide fragments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secondary ion mass spectrometry</span> Surface chemical analysis and imaging method

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization</span> Ionization technique

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References

  1. 1 2 "Wolfram MEIER AUGENSTEIN personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
  2. ↑ "FIRMS". Forensic-isotopes.org. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Wolfram Meier-Augenstein | Robert Gordon University - Academia.edu". Rgu.academia.edu. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Murder, mutilation and dismemberment: Ireland transfixed by 'Scissor Sisters' case. David McKittrick, The Independent , 1 November 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  5. ↑ DNA could solve historic murder. Norfolk Constabulary, 25 January 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Headless corpse discovered in Norfolk 40 years ago 'could be sex worker known as "the Duchess"'. Paul Peachey, The Independent , 26 January 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Moss, Alex (9 December 2018). "Who was the 'Thai bride' dumped in the hills?". BBC News.
  8. ↑ Moss, Alex (25 January 2019). "New twist in 'Thai bride' murder mystery". BBC News.
  9. ↑ "'Thai bride' cold case woman identified". BBC News. 19 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Meier-Augenstein, Wolfram (2010). Stable Isotope Forensics. doi:10.1002/9780470688762. ISBN   9780470517055.
  11. ↑ Meier-Augenstein, Wolfram (2017). Stable Isotope Forensics. doi:10.1002/9781119080190. ISBN   9781119080190.
  12. ↑ "2022 Christmas Lectures". Royal Institution. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - 2022: Dame Sue Black: 1. Dead Body - Signed".
  14. ↑ Meier-Augenstein, Wolfram; Brand, Willi; Hoffmann, Georg F.; Rating, Dietz (1994). "Bridging the information gap between isotope ratio mass spectrometry and conventional mass spectrometry". Biological Mass Spectrometry. 23 (6): 376–378. doi:10.1002/bms.1200230613.
  15. ↑ Meier-Augenstein, Wolfram (1995). "On-line recording of 13C/12C ratios and mass spectra in one gas chromatographic analysis". Journal of High Resolution Chromatography. 18: 28–32. doi:10.1002/jhrc.1240180107.
  16. ↑ "Wiley: Stable Isotope Forensics: An Introduction to the Forensic Application of Stable Isotope Analysis, 1st edition - Wolfram Meier-Augenstein". www.wiley.com/en-gb/.
  17. ↑ "Wiley: Stable Isotope Forensics: Methods and Forensic Applications of Stable Isotope Analysis, 2nd Edition - Wolfram Meier-Augenstein". www.wiley.com/en-gb/. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
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