Mike Dereviankin brings a solid foundation in forensic geochemistry and comprehensive experience in data validation to the Chemistry Matters team.

Mike Dereviankin has a BSc in Biological & Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Guelph and an MSc in Analytical Biochemistry from McMaster University. As an auditor for Labstat International, Mike gained familiarity with ASTM analytical protocols, data validation and ensuring compliance to ISO 17025 and GLP/GMP regulations. He is experienced in univariate and multivariant statistical analysis gained from graduate work developing comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography methods to monitor oil sands tailing ponds.

Mike’s family has a longstanding history of military and marine service and he initially intended to pursue marine training at United States Merchant Marine Academy. After discovering the similarities between marine service and the rigours of conducting scientific research, he actively pursued science in late high school. His attention was equally divided between the vast amount of innovation happening with genetics at the time and his immense interest in stoichiometry. As such, when university as an undergraduate he decided to pursue a general Bachelor of Science. After his first introduction to quantitative chemical analysis, he knew that chemistry would be the right pathway for his education.
His undergraduate thesis focused on the implications of synthetic inorganic chemistry in environmental remediation strategies (Publication ID: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.169) under the supervisor of Dr. Michael Denk. After completing his undergraduate degree, he had the privilege of participating in an internship with the Government of Canada acting as a federal inspector with the Canadian Bio-containment and Certification Program. This internship in the Public sector lead to a full-time career in the private sector as a validation specialist for an ISO 17025 testing laboratory. This analytical testing experience early in his career, exposed Mike to an array of projects with method development, validation, laboratory accreditation, internal auditing and quality assurance.

The decision to transition from implementing regulations to pursing graduate school stems from working directly with scientists who attend graduate school to meet rigorous standards of quality when designing and implementing analytical methods. Mike chose to complete his graduate education at McMaster University under the supervisor of, Dr. Gregory Slater. As a graduate student, he continued to be involved in research that is split between industry relevant to highly applied questions such as the sources and remediation of organic contaminants.

With a strong foundation in forensic geochemistry and comprehensive experience in data validation, consulting for CMI was the best application of his skill set.

Why Chemistry Matters?

I was first introduced to CMI during my graduate education at McMaster University, while conducting a literature review for determining biogenic sources of toluene. During this review, I stumbled upon an article published by Court Sandau & Phil Richards on this topic. It’s a funny story, my supervisor had a similar idea for a project, however the article presented a clear and concise method of using these toluene & cymene ratios and thus we didn’t further investigate this topic.

CMI was brought up again in conversations with my Mass Spectroscopy Lecturer, Dr. Karl Jobst. I view Karl as a mentor, and he not only spoke very highly of the impact of the work that CMI produces, but also the enthusiasm that CMI brings to conferences and workshops.

I’ve been actively following Chemistry Matters on twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. It’s great to see companies that support their staff to go to industry leading conferences such as Pitconn, Remtech and the multi-dimensional chromatography workshop. The combination of the enthusiasm, reputation and employee satisfaction are the key reasons why I eagerly applied to the work for CMI.

Mike is originally from the Black Sea Port City of Sevastopol, Russia. Growing up on the Crimean Peninsula gave him a strong appreciation for the environment through spending beautiful dry summer days on the beach and hiking it’s numerous mountains. In 1998, his family immigrated to Toronto and although his family has since moved to sunny Florida, he has happily remained a Canadian Citizen. Outside of work, you’ll find him in the pool. Whether that be playing water-polo, training to make a national time standard in swimming or coaching the Special Olympics team in Dundas, Ontario. He has been actively involved in aquatics through participating on varsity teams in his undergraduate education (University of Guelph Varsity Swim Team), graduate education (McMaster University Swim & Water Polo Team), and contributing to his local community by providing swim training to athletes competing in Special Olympic events.

What would be your advice to students starting in University looking to pursue a career like yours?

Finding a last longing & fulfilling career is not a, “numbers game”. During your education, use outlets such as social media to explore individuals or organizations of interests. Once you have determined where you would like to see your career progress figure out how to apply your academic niche to the needs of an organization. Direct messaging through LinkedIn or twitter is an undervalued resource that students should apply to gain information about their target demographic.

Click here to learn more about the Chemistry Matters team.