Scientific Solutions 

An Independent Consultant Serving 

the Writing, Marketing and Educational Requirements of the Analytical Science Community

Detailed Biography of Principal Consultant, Robert Thomas

Professional Profile:

Robert Thomas has exceptionally strong traditional and internet-based technical marketing and writing skills, founded on 20 years experience in the Chemical Analysis Division of PerkinElmer Instruments, a leader in the analytical instrumentation business with over $600 million in annual sales. 

He has a wealth of experience in the technical sales and marketing of atomic spectroscopy products, that are used for trace element analysis. In particular, understanding how they are used to solve traditional application problems and also investigating ways of penetrating new markets. He was trained as an analytical chemist in the metallurgical industry. 

This background has been the ideal platform on which to base his technical marketing and freelance scientific writing consulting business. In particular, his writing skills have enabled him to branch out and publish articles in other scientific disciplines, including life sciences, biomedical and drugs of discovery. In total he is credited with over 60 publications in scientific journals and technical trade magazines and two ICP-MS textbooks.

His major strengths include:

• Significant expertise in the writing, development and production of collateral sales material, including brochures, application literature, newsletters, presentation material, sales binders, CD ROMs, advertising campaigns, direct mail pieces and website design
• Skilled in the art of writing papers and articles for technical and trade journals
• Experienced in market research techniques to understand how customers use analytical instrumentation
• Formulating and executing strategies to maximize penetration of analytical instrumentation into traditional and new markets
• Detailed knowledge on how to introduce new products into the marketplace
• Wealth of experience in marketing and competitive support of a sales organization
• Excellent global business skills, particularly in Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim Countries
• Many years experience in the training of customers and sales/marketing personnel
• In-depth knowledge of plasma source trace element techniques, including Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission and Mass Spectrometry
• Detailed understanding of trace element analysis and how the analytical community utilizes trace element techniques to solve their individual problems.

  Professional Experience:  

Scientific Solutions, Gaithersburg, MD (1999 - Present)

    7/99-Present

Principal Consultant of his own consulting company, which focuses on the technical marketing and freelance writing needs of the scientific community - specializing in writing articles, papers and the production of marketing pieces, for journals, magazines and high-technology, scientific-based organizations.

Key Accomplishments:  

• Publication of 2 textbooks on ICP-MS
• Publication of over 30 papers/articles/tutorials for trade magazines and scientific journals
• Publication of 15 articles for analytical instrument companies
• Generation of a wall poster for a scientific magazine
• Production of 5 newsletter articles
• Creation of an 8-page, 4-color brochure
• Creation of 3 technical websites

Perkin-Elmer Corporation, Norwalk, CT  (1980 - 1999)

  10/96-7/99                  

Senior Marketing Specialist: Moved to the newly formed ICP-MS Business Group, (a  $40M annual business) which was part of restructuring of the Inorganic Division of Perkin Elmer. Responsible for marketing, sales and competitive support of worldwide ICP-MS sales organization. Had specific territorial responsibility for sales/seminar support of Latin America and Pacific Rim countries. Coordinated all the marketing collateral material for the ICP-MS product line. Launched 2 brand new ICP-MS instruments to the marketplace and coordinated the training of the worldwide sales organization.

Key Accomplishments:

q    Introduced 2 major ICP-MS  products to the marketplace, including all the collateral material that went with them

q    Organized  product/sales training of 2 major new instruments to a  worldwide ICP-MS sales organization

q    Coordinated a number of user surveys to understand how our ICP-MS equipment was being applied to real-world application problems

q    Went on 4 overseas seminar tours to Latin America and the Pacific Rim

q    In conjunction with one of Perkin Elmer’s strategic partners (CETAC Technologies), produced 3 interactive training CD ROMS

q    Produced 3 customer newsletters

q    Put together a number of application based customer binders

  6/95-10/96        

Senior Marketing Specialist: Promoted to the position of Senior Marketing Specialist in the Inorganic Analysis Support Group in the Inorganic Division, (a $200M annual business) of Perkin-Elmer. Responsible for ICP-OES/ICP-MS training of overseas customers and sales/marketing support of the sales organization. Interacted with the market place to determine how our instrumentation was being applied to analytical problems and using the information for directing application effort and future product development. Heavily involved with working groups and task forces that set down methodology and specifications in major market areas. Perkin Elmer’s representative on the ASTM and SEMI Standards’ Committees.

  Key Accomplishments:

q    Initiated a detailed market analysis of the semiconductor market to find out how ICP-MS was being used

q    Organized two ICP-MS competitive training courses for worldwide sales specialists

q    Developed the ICP-MS training course for overseas customers

  1/90-6/95                    

Marketing Specialist: Moved into the marketing group to take a position as an ICP-OES/ICP-MS Marketing Specialist in the ICP Business Unit. Responsible for all of the ICP-MS marketing related functions and some of the ICP-OES ones. Responsibilities included market analysis, customer focus groups, user group meetings, customer databases, competitive analyses, literature production, ad campaigns, exhibition coordination, journal publications, conference papers and training sales personnel. Introduced two major ICP-MS products, the ELAN 5000 (1990) and ELAN 6000 (1994) and helped with three major ICP-OES product, the Optima 3000 (1992), 3000XL axial-view ICP (1994) and 3000DV dual-view ICP (1995). These products represented $80M in annual sales.

  Key Accomplishments:

q    Played the lead role in the marketing strategy and introduction of the ELAN 5000 and ELAN 6000 ICP mass spectrometers. Responsible for production of all the marketing material

q    An integral part of the marketing  team that introduced the three Optima 3000 ICP optical emission products

q    Specific responsibility for promoting ICP-OES and ICP-MS business in Latin America. Grew the ICP-OES/ICP-MS  business from $950K in 1992, to $2.8M fiscal year1996

q    Established Perkin-Elmer in the SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) Standards Organization contributing to their standards program. Received two "Outstanding Contribution" awards for the analytical work performed

q    Set up both the ICP-OES and ICP-MS customer databases. Today there are over 5000 customer profiles in the data bases

q    Initiated and Organized three annual ICP-OES/ICP-MS user group meetings. They have become an annual event since

  6/88-1/90          

Technical Specialist in the ICP Product Department. Brought over from the UK to learn about all aspects of the business and to bring sales experience into the marketing group. General product department responsibilities, including application assignments, testing of hardware/software, technical support of the manufacturing plant and phone support for sales personnel and customers.

  Key Accomplishments:

q    Brought experience of the European market place into the ICP Product Department

q    Published four articles in technical journals (see list of publications)

  3/86-6/88          

ICP-OES/ICP-MS Product Line Leader: Promoted to the position of Product Line Leader for ICP-OES/ICP-MS in the UK Sales Organization of Perkin Elmer. Took on responsibility for ICP-MS in addition to ICP-OES. Had  control over selling, marketing and promoting these techniques in the UK.

  Key Accomplishments:

q    Exceeded ICP-OES/ICP-MS plan for two consecutive years. Annual turnover was $3M in 1988

  7/81-3/86                    

ICP-OES Product Sales Specialist: Took full responsibility for selling and marketing ICP-OES for Perkin Elmer in the UK, including driving the sale, making presentations, running customer samples, organizing seminars, doing customer training and placing advertisements.

  Key Accomplishments:

q    The driving force in selling a completely new trace element technique to the marketplace

q    Taking ICP-OES from $0 in 1981 to almost $2M in 1987 and exceeding plan every year

7/80-7/81                    

Atomic Spectroscopy (AS) Sales Engineer: Covered South West England/South Wales sales region of the UK for Perkin Elmer, selling atomic spectroscopy products. This region had an annual turnover of $600K in AS products.

Guest Keen and Nettlefolds, Cardiff, S. Wales, UK (1974-1980)

  2/74-7/80                    

Senior R&D Chemist: Managed a team of 3 chemists in a small R&D laboratory of a private steel making company. Used all the classical instrumental techniques like XRF, Spark Emission, AA, UV/VIS, IR and the traditional wet chemical analytical procedures.

British Steel Corporation, Llanwern, South Wales, UK (1967-1974)

  5/71-2/74                    

Laboratory Technician: Performed routine chemical and metallurgical testing of iron, steel and steel making raw materials, including metallography, physical testing, arc/spark emission spectrometry, XRF, AA, UV/VIS and classical wet chemistry.

  9/67-5/71

Quality Control Apprenticeship: 4 year apprenticeship learning all aspects of quality control of an integrated iron and steel plant, including the use of instrumental and classical chemical and metallurgical analytical procedures.

Education:

  1967-71                      

Higher National Diploma in Chemistry: 4 year college course equivalent to a UK Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree - University College of Wales, Newport, Gwent, S. Wales, UK.

  1971-73

Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry in Advanced Analytical Chemistry: Two year  course on  analytical instrumentation techniques equivalent to a UK Master of Science (MSc)- University College of Wales, Newport, Gwent, S. Wales, UK.

  Professional Memberships:

q    G.R.S.C.- Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry

q    F.C.S - Fellow of the Chemical Society ( UK)

q   A.C.S. - American Chemical Society

q   S.A.S. - Society for Applied  Spectroscopy