Sławomir Kurkiewicz, PhD, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6548-3638 Diplomas and academic degrees: 1992 – MSc in Chemistry awarded by the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, University of Silesia, Katowice 2001 – PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, Silesian Medical University Employment in scientific institutions: Since 1993 - Department of Instrumental Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Over the years, Slawomir has established several strong research themes, applying techniques of GC/MS (including tandem mass spectrometry), pyrolysis and derivatisation to a variety of samples, mostly of biological/medical origin, prepared and analysed in collaboration with several interdisciplinary research groups. The existing research themes focus on the application of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in the analysis of biologically active compounds: melanins, lipids, drugs and other xenobiotics.