Dear CACA Members and Chromatography Colleagues,
The Chinese American Chromatography Association (CACA) will host a networking dinner event at Pittcon 2026 (Mar 7-11, 2025) in San Antonio, TX.
The dinner event will be held on Monday (5:30 -8:30 pm, Mar 9th) at Ballroom, Riverwalk Plaza Hotel, close to Henry B. González Convention Center (4-minute driving or 14-minute walk.
The dinner event will feature presentations from CACA president and brief introductions by sponsors. Time permitting, we may have time for social networking, recruiting announcement and self-introductions by graduating graduate students.
The agenda for the networking dinner will be posted on the CACA website at ca-ca.org as well as broadcasted as LinkedIn posts. CACA will subsidize >50% of the dinner cost for students and unemployed attendees. If you are interested in participating in our dinner event, please purchase the ticket on Eventbrite.
Sponsors (alphabetical order): A Chemtek, Advanced Material Technology, CDS Analytical, Genentech, Keystone Bioanalytical, LabTech, Mac-Mod, NanoChrom, PolyLC, Sepax Technologies, SGS, Shimadzu, SilcoTek, Tosoh Bioscience, Waters
See you in San Antonio!
CACA Executive Committee
Rising Leaders in Separation Science
The Chinese American Chromatography Association (CACA) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Young Investigation Awards (YIA) and Student Excellence Awards (SEA)! These prestigious annual awards recognize outstanding scientists and students whose innovative research has made exceptional contributions to the advancement of separation science and its wide-ranging applications.
2026 CACA YIA and SEA Winners
Dr. Matt Sorensen Dr. Jake Melby Shashini De Silva Vincent Chang
🏆2026 Young Investigator Awards (2) - Sponsored by Advanced Materials Technology and Waters Corporation
CACA proudly congratulates Dr. Matt Sorensen and Dr. Jake Melby as the recipients of the 2026 CACA Young Investigator Awards.
🏆2026 Student Excellence Awards (2) - Sponsored by Mac-Mod Analytical and Genentech
CACA is delighted to recognize Shashini De Silva and Vincent Chang as the recipients of the 2026 Student Excellence Awards.
Award Presentation
All awards, including plaques and cash travel grants ($1,000 for YIA recipients and $500 for SEA recipients), will be presented at the debut CACA Award Symposium on Monday, March 9, 2026, from 2:30–4:40 PM, at Pittcon 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Please join us in celebrating these exceptional scientists and students whose work continues to shape the future of separation science. We look forward to an inspiring and memorable award symposium at Pittcon 2026!
Award Winner Biography:
Dr. Sorensen is a Research Scientist at Eli Lilly and Company in the Synthetic Molecule Design and Development department. He received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Michigan under Prof. Robert Kennedy, focusing on capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry instrumentation for metabolite and lipid separations. He specializes in developing 1D and 2D-LC/MS methodologies for complex molecules, including oligonucleotides, monoclonal antibodies, and lipids. With 15 peer-reviewed publications and 13 conference presentations, his scientific impact is further recognized by awards from HPLC and ACS. Beyond his technical expertise, Matt is a dedicated mentor and community volunteer, both within the STEM fields and in the broader community.
Dr. Melby is a Senior Scientist in Integrated Bioanalysis at AstraZeneca, where he specializes in the characterization of complex biologics, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). He earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under Prof. Ying Ge, focusing on overcoming sensitivity challenges in top-down proteomics. Dr. Melby has developed innovative approaches, including small-scale serial Size Exclusion Chromatography" (s³SEC) and high-sensitivity capillary RPLC, enabling proteoform analysis from single muscle cells. Dr. Melby is a committed mentor and an active leader in the separation science and mass spectrometry community.
Shashini De Silva is a Ph.D. candidate in Analytical Chemistry at Iowa State University under the guidance of Prof. Jared Anderson. Her research focuses on ionic liquid-based separation platforms, with an emphasis on developing miniaturized, matrix-tolerant methods for extracting and preserving nucleic acids from complex plant matrices and herbarium specimens. She co-invented ultra-low viscosity magnetic ionic liquids that enable direct coupling with HPLC. With multiple publications and research awards, including a GRC poster award, Shashini is emerging as a leader in sustainable bioanalysis.
Vincent Chang is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Yale University, working under Prof. Stacy Malaker. His research focuses on developing advanced LC–MS/MS workflows to characterize mucins (highly glycosylated proteins implicated in numerous diseases). Vincent co-developed a high-throughput, mucin-selective enrichment strategy to enable comprehensive profiling of complex biological samples, including synovial and tear fluids. He is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow with nine publications, as well as an enthusiastic mentor to junior researchers.
Award Selection Process
Recipients were selected through a rigorous review process conducted by a distinguished award committee composed of leading academic and industry experts in separation science. Candidates were evaluated based on research excellence, innovation, impact, as well as service to the scientific community.
About CACA
CACA is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote networking and career development for its members. CACA hosts frequent webinars, workshops, symposia, and dinner networking events at Pittcon, HPLC, and EAS Conferences to provide forums for sharing technical information in separation sciences and the development of collaborative relationships. Additional information is available at www.ca-ca.org.
